Love is just a heartbeat away
by Lierin
Summary: AUPast, present and future are somehow connected to a mystery involving Hogwarts, Snape, Lupin and a new (female) teacher in Ancient Magical Artifacts. Can they work together and solve the mystery? Can Snape fall in love? Can she see past Snape's past.
1. The Letter

Love is just a heartbeat away

A/N: Obviously, the only character I own in this story is Lierin Heartilly and only her character not even her name. Heartilly is the family name of the ff8 character Rinoa Heartilly. Everything that strikes you as familiar in the HP or FF universe belongs to J.K. Rowling and Square Soft. I must also explain that this is my first HP fic and that it's an alternate Prisoner of Azkaban story. I tried to set the same atmosphere from the book in my story, so a lot of descriptions about weather and surroundings are based on scenes from the HP universe. This story wasn't written for money but for fun only. Also keep in mind that English isn't my main language, I'm Dutch so please bear with me.

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Dear Professor Dumbledore, 

A change in the circumstances of my profession has compelled me to write you this letter. 

Since my graduation eight years ago I've been travelling all over the world, specialising in ancient magical artefacts and financing my journeys by writing books about my discoveries. 

Over the past few years these books became more and more popular and at Beauxbatons they have decided to teach 'Ancient Magical Artefacts' and they approached me to teach it. I have to be honest, I'm thrilled at the prospect of becoming a teacher but I'd rather be a teacher at my old school than being a teacher at a strange school in Europe. So, before accepting the job at Beauxbatons, I find myself obligated to ask you first if you might be interested in me becoming a Magical Artefacts teacher at Hogwarts. I entreat you, as my old headmaster and a reliable friend, that you will answer this letter the minute it reaches you, so I can (hopefully) decline or else accept their invitation. 

I hope this letter finds you well.

I remain, affectionately yours,

Lierin Heartilly

The headmaster of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry folded the letter neatly and laid it on his desk, faintly smiling at the thought of a young and rash Lierin becoming a sophisticated teacher. How many times had he read that letter after he had first received it?  
  
Of course he had immediately accepted her as a new teacher at Hogwarts and the news had hit the existing staff like a Dungbomb. Madame Hooch was thrilled. Of course, Lierin had been 'bloody brilliant' on a broomstick, as her best friend Charlie Weasley had so eloquently put it.  
  
Professor Flitwick was also excited about it. After all, Lierin had been his best student ever. Even young Miss Granger couldn't match Lierin's unique talent in Charms. Professor McGonagall was less excited, even though she'd had a week spot for young Miss Heartilly she wasn't sure about her teaching abilities, obviously remembering Lierin as rash and bold as the Weasley twins. 

Professor Trelawney nearly had a fit upon hearing the news, which had caused Professor Sprout to giggle. Professor Trelawney and Lierin Heartilly had always been in each other's hair, causing Professor Trewlawney to deduct House points from Gryffindor at any given opportunity. Professor Snape had said nothing at all, but Dumbledore had seen his jaw go rigid with anger. Of course no one in his right mind could ever forget the grudge between those two. Ah yes, the loathing Snape and Heartilly had felt for one another made Snape and Harry Potter look like old friends. Dumbledore could understand the antipathy between Snape and Harry to some degree because he knew Snape's history with Harry's father. But, he had never quite understood the animosity between Snape and Heartilly. This animosity had grown from one very unfortunate incident, the day a Professor at Hogwarts had accidentally cursed a student, inflicting a grave injury to her leg. Snape and Heartilly both could have been expelled from school. Heartilly for provoking and insulting a teacher and Snape for injuring a student, but after they had reluctantly acknowledged the fact they had both been guilty to the entire incident, Dumbledore had allowed them both to stay at school.  
  
This would certainly prove to be a very interesting year, thought Dumbledore to himself, his eyes twinkling. 


	2. The Beauty and the Beast

Chapter 2

The scarlet Hogwarts Express would be arriving any minute now but Lierin already felt sorry about her decision to wait for it at Hogsmeade Station. It was freezing on the tiny platform and the rain was driving down in icy sheets. She shivered in her forest green velvet cloak and pulled it closer around her as she concentrated on the sounds around her, imagining she could faintly hear the train thundering down the tracks.  
  
"He'd better be on the train," she muttered under her breath, but she knew that even if the gods had decided to pour the entire ocean out over her head, she'd still be here waiting for him. It really was a shame they had lost contact with each other; they had always been so close. They had always been like brother and sister even though they weren't blood relations. 

His parents had taken her in when they had found her roaming the streets all alone and with no one to turn to. She had only been five years old when the Dark Lord had decided her family had to die because they wouldn't turn over to the dark side. She owed the Lupins an awful lot and the second she'd learned Remus would be teaching at Hogwarts also, she'd decided to pick him up from the train. At the other end of the platform she saw Hagrid waving at her, he had been so kind to give her a lift to Hogsmeade in his boat. He always took the first-years for a traditional journey across the lake. Her first thought was to wave back and it wasn't until she had raised her hand that she realised he was trying to draw her attention to the Hogwarts Express which was steadily approaching it's destination. Her stomach gave a funny jolt when she realised she'd be seeing him soon. She smiled at the thought of how surprised he would be to see her here. Imagine that, Lierin Heartilly, teaching at Hogwarts, working with her old Professors instead of working against them. It would certainly require some adjusting and she wondered what kind of teacher she'd be. Would she be strict but fair like McGonagall? Or dull like Binns? Or chaotic like Professor Sprout? She really had no idea. She hoped she'd be entertaining but also that she'd be able to keep order in her class. Some people were just born to teach and she wasn't entirely sure she was one of them. At least she knew one person at Hogwarts who absolutely never should have been appointed as a teacher. Well, whatever this year would bring, Lierin was sure she'd do a hell of a lot better than he would. She pulled a wry face when she thought of her old Potions Master and she rubbed the upper part of her left leg where she felt a faint but familiar pain tugging at her leg. At long last, the train stopped at the station and there was a great scramble to get out. Lierin smiled when she thought back to her own school years; owls hooted, cats meowed, toads croaked and here and there she saw students clutching their pet rats in their hands.  
  
"Firs'-years thisa way!" called the familiar voice of Hagrid and she soon heard him welcoming three kids who just got of the train. They didn't get a chance to talk, though, because the mass of people around the kids was shunting them away along the platform. Suddenly she noticed the familiar tall figure of Remus; his light-brown hair streaked with even more grey than she remembered but his face as youthful as ever. She didn't dare to draw his attention to her; she wanted him to notice her himself. 

He dusted off his extremely shabby set of wizards robes which had been mended in several places and in his hand he was carrying his small, battered case held together with a large quantity of neatly knotted string. Sadness crept in her eyes, as she knew how difficult it had to be for him to find a decent job. She could have kissed Dumbledore when she had heard the news, but that would have been a bit odd because she had been eavesdropping on him and her least favorite teacher, correction, colleague, who with any luck still wasn't aware of the fact she had come to Hogwarts as well. So far she had been able to avoid him during her days of preparation. Days of peace and tranquillity without Snape bothering her with his unsettling presence. Snape was a very intimidating person with quite a severe and grim charisma. So far Lierin had enjoyed her days at Hogwarts, preparing herself for classes even though she knew she was here for an entirely different reason. A reason she even hadn't told Remus about. Not even Dumbledore. For a moment she really felt like a schmuck for deceiving the few people she held in such high regard. Lierin looked down at her feet and wiggled her toes in her boots. Soon, she promised herself. Soon I'll tell them all about it. But not now, not today. Soon.

  
Slowly Remus got off the train and she could tell he had spotted her.He blinked his eyes a couple of times, hesitated on the steps of the train until a student prodded him in the back to make him move, and finally he was making his way though the crowd towards her.  
  
At long last he was standing in front of her, a look of wonder in his eyes as he studied her slim figure. She was wearing a wine-red velvet tunic with a velvet set of forest green wizards robes. Her legs were pulled into green tight trousers and stuck in long black suede boots. She had a heart-shaped face, skin smooth as silk and pale like the petals of a white rose with just a hint of pink on her cheeks. Full rosy lips were curved in a charming smile, indicating she was very happy to see him. Her thick golden hair was pulled back in a braid with soft silver streaks which looked like they had been kissed by the moon. Remus faintly smiled to himself, hardly believing his eyes, but there was only one girl in the world who was gifted with hair that looked like it was partly spun with the last rays of the sun and partly with the first rays of the moon.

"Lierin!" he cried out and he spread his arms for her. It took her less than a second to fling herself into his them and begin kissing his cheeks over and over again. She didn't care if she was making a scene and neither did Remus, he was thrilled to see her again and he swooped her up to spin her around like he had done countless of times.  
  
"What in Merlin's name are you doing here?" asked Remus laughingly.  
  
"Well, the same as you of course," said Lierin in an innocent tone, her eyes twinkling with joy.   
  
Remus broke their embrace and held her at arm length to study her face.  
  
"Lierin, are you merely jesting or...?"  
  
"No Remus, I'm here as a teacher," said Lierin, "Just like you," she added while she gently pushed him against the shoulder. Remus, being the werewolf that he was, eyed her curiously and Lierin knew that if she didn't change the subject very soon, he'd know she was lying. That she was keeping something from him.  
  
"Come on Remus, let us take a carriage to the castle and I'll tell you all about it."  
  
They both walked out onto a rough mud track where the last stagecoaches awaited the remaining students. The coach smelled faintly of mould and straw and soon Remus and Lierin were engaged in an animated conversation, filling each other in with the gaps over the past years and bringing up memories.  
  
As the carriage trundled towards a pair of magnificent wrought iron gates, flanked with stone columns topped with winged boars, Lierin grabbed hold of Remus arm as they passed two towering hooded figures, standing guard on either side of the gate. She shivered involuntary and she moved closer to Remus.  
  
"Those are Dementors. They are here guarding the castle. Apparently there is a maniacal murderer on the loose who escaped from Azkaban. I'm afraid I'm not particularly fond of them," whispered Lierin confidentially.  
  
"I know," said Remus grimly, "I've just met one on the train. Scared the living daylights out of Harry Potter. But who could blame him after what that poor boy has been through."  
  
"Harry Potter? He is here? The Harry Potter? The boy who lived? Him?" asked Lierin with incredulity in her bright sapphire eyes. Remus chuckled.  
  
"He's just a normal kid Lierin. Until two years ago he didn't even know he was special. Didn't even know about us wizards. So please don't go staring at his scar, it makes him feel very uncomfortable." Sadness clouded his eyes and Lierin wondered what was wrong with him until she remembered James and Lily Potter had been his closest friends for years.  
  
"Oh," she said softly, more to herself than to Remus. 

Lierin noticed Remus was watching her with something of curiosity in his eyes. She neglected him and pretended she didn't notice his scrutinizing look. Feeling quite uncomfortable under his attentive gaze, she shifted her weight a couple of times and finally she sighed in exasperation as she couldn't stand it anymore. 

A victorious smile curved his lips and a hint of mischief caused his eyes to twinkle.

"I knew you were keeping something from me. Now come on, spill it and have it over with. It can't be that bad."

Again Lierin sighed, but this time she sighed because she knew she didn't have a choice. Besides, he'd find out soon enough.

"Actually it is that bad. You received my letter a few months ago?" 

"The 'Hello-Remus-how-are-you-I'm-fine-read-my-book-take-care-and-so-long' letter? That one?"

Lierin stuck out her tongue and laughed.

"Yes that one. Well?"

"Well what?" asked Remus innocently. 

"Have you read my book?"

"Yes. As a matter of fact I have."

"Good. Because I found it."

"Found what, the book?"

"No you moron. The goblet. I found the goblet. It's in a museum now and thanks to my book. Everyone who has read it will be able to recognise it. Maybe even ...You-know-who."

"You're kidding me right? Surely this can't be so, can it?"

"I'm afraid it's true. Charlie found it a while ago. Here, he sent me this letter." 

Lierin pulled a crumpled letter out of one of her many pockets and handed it over to Remus. Remus bend over to take the letter and folded it open.His eyes flashed over the words, then he looked up from the letter to look at her with one of his sphinx-like expressions. Then, without a word, he folded the letter again and gave it back. Lierin took it from him and put it back in her pocket. She sat back as well and watched him, waiting for him to react on the letters' content. Silence fell in the carriage as the two of them sat back and watched each other. Finally Remus decided to break the silence.

"And you are sure this is the same goblet?"

"Yes, I'm positive. Now, I was so foolish to write about the goblet, giving a very detailed description. Of course at the time I couldn't foresee the goblet would actually be found. But, I also know there's another goblet. A counterpart for the Goblet of Might. That's why I'm here. To find the other goblet before the Goblet of Might falls into the wrong hands."

"Why not steal it and thus prevent it from falling into the wrong hands?"

"Are you kidding me? It's evil and it brings bad luck as long as it's incomplete. Besides. I'm the one who owns the one thing that can activate the goblet. The dark ruby _"Nightfall's gain_". If I would steal the goblet, Voldemort could snatch it along with the ruby. Now when either of the items are stolen, I can always try and prevent him from stealing the other one."

"Luckily you didn't write about Nightfall's gain. Imagine the wild goose-chases if one would find out that the ruby has been in possession of the Heartilly family for ages."

A guilty look appeared in Lierin's eyes and she tried to look away from Remus before he'd notice. Maybe if she hadn't turned her head away Remus wouldn't have noticed, his mind was still wondering about the ruby, but exactly that shy gesture was what caught his attention and he knew what it meant. 

"Oh no, don't tell me you wrote about the ruby as well!"

"Of course I didn't write about it, but I did found a book that explicitly says the ruby has been in my family for ages. So, afraid one might brake into the manor and steal it, I took it with me." 

"ARE-YOU-INSANE?" cried Remus. "Do you know what will happen if some crazy fool finds out? Every lunatic who finds the goblet and knows how to use it will come after you. It's bad enough we have one murderer on the loose. We don't need more!"

"I brought the ruby with me because this is the one and only really safe haven. It's actually a good thing that the murderer Sirius Black escaped. I don't like the dementors, but they protect Hogwarts against assailants. I'll be safe here, and so will the ruby. While I'm here, I'll do research about the other goblet and I'll find it before someone can use the Goblet of Might."

"Do you have any idea how selfish that is? Tell me, have you even thought once about the jeopardy you may have put the students in?"

"Yes I have, but this was the best idea I could come up with. If you have better suggestions, I'm willing to listen. Until that time, I'll proceed with this mission as planned."

"I still think it's a stupid idea. There's too much that could go wrong and I really think you didn't think this through. But considering the fact you're going to need all the help you can get, I will help you."

"Thanks Remus. There's really no danger in this yet. There are no signs yet that someone recognised the goblet and Charlie promised me to keep an eye on it. I have the ruby that activates the goblet and no one wants a goblet that brings bad luck when incomplete anyway. Then there's the little catch that you need to drink the potions of spirits from the goblet in order to obtain it's powers. It's one of the most complicated potions in existence and only few Potion Masters are able to concoct it. I think at the moment there are only five wizards who have obtained such high a level of potions making and one of those five is Professor Snape. He won't make it for anyone so that brings us down to four. So you see, it's close to impossible for anyone to actually activate that goblet."

"Yes, Severus always was brilliant in potions and the dark arts. But I'm not sure whether that's reassuring or threatening." Remus ignored the questioning look in Lierin's eyes and he wondered if it was wise to tell her that Severus Snape had once been a follower of Voldemort. 

He thought it wiser to keep it silent for now. There really was no need to make her more worried than necessary.

  
The carriage picked up speed on the long, jostling drive up to the castle and Lierin leant out of the tiny window to watch the many turrets and towers draw nearer. Finally the carriage swayed to a halt and Remus and Lierin got out just in time to stop a fight.  
  
"You fainted, Potter? Is Longbottom telling the truth? You actually fainted?" said a young boy in a drawling and delighted voice.

Lierin instantly knew she didn't like the young, pale, blond brat. The boy in question elbowed past a girl with long bushy brown hair to block a boy's way up the stone steps to the castle, his pale face gleeful and his even paler eyes glinting maliciously. 

So that was Harry Potter, Lierin immediately felt a warmth for the small fragile boy with his scruffy raven black hair.  
  
"Shove off, Malfoy," said a young redheaded boy, whose jaw was clenched. Lierin smiled to herself as she instantly recognised the boy as a sibling of Charlie.  
  
"Did you faint as well, Weasley?" said the young boy called Malfoy loudly. Her dislike for that boy started to grow with the second.  
  
"Did the scary old Dementor frighten you too, Weasley?"  
  
Lierin had her arms stretched out with the intention to lunge forward at the boy but Remus held her back.  
  
"Sorry sweetie, those days are over. You can't propel yourself into every fight you get the chance to," whispered Remus in her ear. Lierin didn't care, she wanted to teach that brat a lesson and for just an instant she could completely understand what had gotten into Snape when he'd cursed her, for now she wanted do the same to Malfoy and she had barely known him for two minutes. This promised to become a very interesting year indeed, she thought to herself.  
  
Luckily Remus decided to butt in.  
"Is there a problem?" asked Remus with a smile. Malfoy gave Remus a stare Lierin didn't like at all and with a tiny hint of sarcasm in his voice he said, " Oh, no...er...Professor,"  
  
Malfoy smirked at his two cronies flanking him and Lierin just couldn't restrain herself.  
  
"If you have nothing further to say, Mr. Malfoy, then I suggest you turn around NOW and start moving. I do hope that in class you will have something more useful to contribute. Although, I highly doubt it."  
  
Malfoy took in the stern expression on the woman's face and he shot her an angry glare before he turned around and led his friends up the steps into the castle. Potter, Weasley and the girl hurried up the steps and Remus guided Lierin into the castle to the Great Hall. 


	3. Flaming beginnings

Chapter 3

Professor Dumbledore stood up to greet them as soon as he noticed them entering the Hall and he guided them to their places. Lierin couldn't help but smile at him. When she had met him a few days ago she had felt relieved to learn he was still the same eccentric Dumbledore with his several feet of long silver hair and beard, half-moon spectacles and an extremely crooked nose. He was wearing a festive set of wizard robes in a bright purple color for the occasion. First he led Remus to his place, next to Madame Hooch and Professor Sprout. Both Professors greeted her with fervor as Professor Dumbledore led her past them. He guided her down the staff table and - Oh, dear! - He was guiding her closer and closer to Professor Snape. She hesitated in her tracks, but Dumbledore gently prodded her in the back to urge her on.  
  
Dumbledore, what are you doing? Her thoughts tumbled to a sudden halt as Professor Snape turned his head, looking her straight in the eyes with his unholy dark stare. Her blood chilled in her veins but she forced herself to walk on, refusing to let him get the better of her. She put up her chin and glared back defiantly. Of course, Dumbledore had to place her next to him.  
  
"Good evening...to you," said Lierin, as she had no idea what to call him. Professor Snape reminded her too much of her old days in school and Severus sounded just too...intimate. Snape didn't help her either, as he couldn't even get a polite greeting past his lips. No, instead he pursed his already thin lips into a cruel thin line and turned his attention away from her. Partly relieved and partly insulted by his disregard, she turned her attention to the doors as the students started to enter the Great Hall. It was a sea of pointed black hats. Each of the long house tables quickly lined up with students, their faces glimmering by the light of thousands of candles, which were floating over the tables in midair. Professor Flitwick, a tiny little wizard with a shock of white hair, carried an ancient looking hat and a three-legged stool into the Hall. The Sorting Ceremony was about to begin.  
  
New students at Hogwarts were sorted into houses by trying on the Sorting Hat, which shouted out the house they were best suited to. Lierin herself had been a Gryffindor and so had Remus. Gryffindor had the stern looking witch McGonagall as Head of the House, very strict but also fair. Further, there was Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin with Snape being the Head of Slytherin, of course.  
  
After the Sorting Ceremony, usually performed by Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick carried away the Sorting Hat and the three-legged stool, and Lierin noticed McGonagall entering the Hall followed by Potter and the girl. Potter and the girl sat off towards the Gryffindor table, as quietly as possible. People looked around at them as they passed along the back of the Hall and a few of them pointed at Potter. Poor kid, the news of Potter fainting in front of the Dementor had travelled fast and Lierin could understand why the kid felt awkward every time people pointed at him. It was as if other people knew things of him he didn't know himself, and Lierin could understand he found that disturbing. She smiled to herself as she saw Potter and the girl take their seats on either side of Weasley and she searched her memory for Weasley's first name. She was sure Charlie had told her once. There was Bill, who had been Head Boy in his days at Hogwarts, she was sure that Charlie had mentioned a set of twins as well, and some other kid who was just a few years younger than Charlie, and....  
  
"Welcome!" said Dumbledore, the candlelight shimmering on his beard and stopping Lierin in her train of thought.  
  
"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all and as one of them is very serious, I think it is best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast...."  
  
With those words Lierin realised she was starving and she grunted as she remembered Dumbledore had always been fond of long speeches.  
  
"As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the Dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business. They are stationed at every entrance..."  
  
Lierin had to repress a yawn and she gave a funny snort out of boredom. She quickly turned her head sideways before she drew too much attention to herself. Immediately she wished she hadn't done so for she found herself gazing into the pitch black eyes of Snape, who was taking her in with an odd expression on his face. Was that a smile on his face? Lierin quickly glanced down, but if there had been the smallest hint of a smile on his lips at all, it was gone now. Of course, Snape caught her gazing at his lips and this time there was most definitely a smile on his face but not a smile she liked. She looked back up into those black tunnels and was tempted to wipe that superior look off his face.  
  
"On a happier note I am pleased to welcome three new teachers to our ranks this year."  
  
Lierin straightened her back and pulled her gaze away from Snape.  


  
"Firstly, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense against the Dark Arts teacher."  
  
Lierin couldn't resist herself. Snape had been after that job ever since she had been at Hogwarts so she smiled at him maliciously, enjoying the very fact that again he hadn't gotten the job. There was some scattered, rather unenthusiastic, applause but Lierin gladly noted that Potter, Weasley, the girl and a few others clapped very hard. Lierin knew Remus looked very shabby next to the rest of the teachers in their best robes. She quickly glanced at Snape, taking in his trademark black robes. Yes, Remus looked shabby next to most of the rest of the teachers, she thought smugly and she noticed with glee that Snape was staring along the staff table at Remus with an awkward expression twisting his thin face.  
  
It was well beyond anger, it was loathing, and Lierin was only too familiar with that look.  
  
She had always thought he had invented that look especially for her because he used that expression every time he had set eyes on her. But this year she had an ally, this year she had Remus.  
  
"As to our second new appointment... Well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who had agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties."  
  
A tumultuous applause broke loose at the Gryffindor table in particular but Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff also applauded generously. Only the Slytherin table was awfully quiet. Lierin turned her head and bit her lip as she saw the great and violent looking Hagrid turning all shy. (Well, "violent" would be a good word if you didn't know him.) He had turned ruby red in the face and stared down at his enormous hands, his wide grin hidden in the tangle of his black beard. 

Then Dumbledore said, "As to our final new appointment..." This time it was Lierin's turn to develop a shiny red colour in her face and she noticed Remus smiling proudly at her at the other end of the table. 

"Because of the exciting books she has written during her travels all over the world, many of the wizarding schools have added the new subject of Ancient Magical Artifacts to their curricula. And we beat Beauxbatons by a hair in having the writer of those splendid books as a teacher at Hogwarts. Please welcome Professor Heartilly, your new teacher of Ancient Magical Artifacts. This will be a compulsory subject for the first and second years. Third years and older may decide for themselves whether they want to take this subject or not. You can sign up with Professor Heartilly and in return she will provide you with the necessary books."  
  
Another lukewarm applause and this time Potter, Weasley and the girl clapped harder than everyone else as well. She grinned at Weasley who developed a shiny red colour in his face from his ears to his hair roots.  
  
"Well, I think that's everything of importance. Let the feast begin!" said Dumbledore.  
  
The golden plates and goblets on the tables filled suddenly with food and drink. Lierin helped herself with a large portion of fried potatoes with apple sauce and a large piece of roast beef.  
  
It was a delicious feast; the Hall echoed with talk, laughter and the clatter of knives and forks. Still Lierin felt uneasy in her seat and while eating she tried to pay as little attention as possible to the imposing figure sitting next to her. At some point during dinner she could no longer ignore the loud clattering of knife and fork to the right of her so she turned her head sideways and shuddered at the view of Snape viciously attacking his meat. She was so glad that whatever it was on his plate, it was already dead. He hadn't taken a single bite from his meat; he had just mutilated it beyond recognition by cutting it into tiny itty-bitty pieces. Fascinated, Lierin stopped eating and watched Snape further abusing his meal, still without eating it. Her lips curled in a delighted vicious smile as she decided Snape still wasn't able to repress his emotions and keep them from others. But what she found so attractive about this situation was that she could really rub it in without Snape being able to deduct house points. After all, she was his colleague now and not his student who he could bully around and get away with it. The die was cast and Lierin softly tapped his shoulder to draw his attention. Snape dropped his knife and fork and slowly turned his head to face her with his trademark cold glare. Somehow it had seemed more intimidating in the time he was still her teacher, now it only made her smile more vindictively.  
  
"You don't have to kill that poor beast twice you know. It's already dead."  
  
"Do my eating habits disturb you?" asked Snape silkily.  
  
"Well, no...but, I...well, I thought that...you know...perhaps..." Lierin found herself lost with words, feeling stupid she hadn't thought past that one remark.  
  
"Stop mumbling like a bloody fool and say what's on your mind, or better yet, leave me be!"  
  
Lierin went very red and concentrated on her own meal again. She should have known she wasn't a match for him. How very foolish of her to think she could sting him with a tart remark. She really should have known better. Feeling even more uncomfortable than before, Lierin looked for an excuse to leave her seat and talk to someone else, if only for a minute. Professor Sinistra on her left hand was talking animatedly with Professor Vectra so she wasn't an option. Luckily, she found a good opportunity when desert was presented.  
  
"Chocolate meringues with sweet pistachio cream and stewed pears!" Lierin cried out, delighted as she dipped her finger in the smooth cream and enjoyed the sweet taste it left on her tongue, paying no attention to the odd look Snape and Sinistra shot at her. Lierin smiled with delight and her eyes grew soft again, for they had looked like a stormy sky after Snape's crude remark. Hmm, there was only one teacher alive who knew about her cravings for this specific desert, thought Lierin dreamily. So she got ready to get up from her seat but not before muttering an excuse to Snape and Sinistra.  
  
"I hope your excuse wasn't addressed to me," said Snape in his usual silky voice, "For I really see no point in that."  
  
"Don't worry, Severus, I was merely being polite." There, she'd said it. She'd said his name and she would have to keep in mind he was her colleague now so she wouldn't let him intimidate her again.  
  
She got up too fast and staggered sideways, barely able to keep herself from falling. She quickly recovered herself again though and massaged the upper part of her left leg, which was hurting like hell. The long seat had made her left leg numb and useless and when she started to walk down the staff table she did so with a small limp.  
  
"By the way, how is your leg?" whispered a cold voice in her ear, dripping with sarcasm.  
  
He was standing right behind her.

"That is low, Severus, even for you!" muttered Lierin under her breath so no one could hear her but him. She walked past Hagrid and congratulated him with his newly appointed job. Finally she reached her goal, but the joy she had felt before was gone and her emotions were running high as she reached Madam Hooch.  
  
"I can't believe you remembered! Thank you."  
  
Madam Hooch smiled broadly. "You beat me fair and square that day and how can anyone forget the moment a student surpasses her teacher? Think of it as a welcoming gift, I'm sure you'll make a fine teacher."  
  
Lierin smiled faintly and excused herself with the other professors. Dumbledore watched her walk by and furrowed his eyebrows. Suddenly he noticed Snape, too, had left the staff table.  
  
"Ah, Severus, I trust you will accompany Professor Heartilly to her chambers? Normally, I'd do so myself but the feast isn't over yet and as you can see this has been an exhausting day for her."  
  
Snape rolled his eyes but he nodded his head and quickly marched over to Lierin who had already reached the doors of the Great Hall. Snape ignored the curious glances the students shot at him as he to disappeared through the doors. 


	4. Chocolate meringues and pearlypods

Chapter 4

Candles dimly lighted the hallway and he noticed Lierin limping along the left corridor. He quickly followed after her.  
  
"And where exactly do you think you are going?" said Snape.  
  
Lierin wheeled around.  
  
"To my room, thank you very much."  
  
"With the students?" he said with a smirk on his face.  
  
Lierin went red again but still she slowly approached him until she was just standing a few inches away. She had to look up at him to be able to look him straight in the eyes.  
  
"Fine, you lead the way."

He nodded solemnly, turned around and marched away in a sturdy pace, his black robes billowing behind him. Lierin let out a sigh and started moving to keep up with him, which was rather difficult with her left leg refusing to co-operate. It only took her a few corridors and a single staircase to lose track of him while it took Snape a good while longer to notice Lierin wasn't following him anymore. Standing in front of the hidden entrance to her private tower he looked about and waited a few minutes. There was no sign of Heartilly. He sighed in exasperation but the feeling of annoyance soon fled as he realised he had been rather inconsiderate and soon he found himself with only one option, to retrace his steps and see where she had lost him. He quickly strode down several corridors and stairs, taking a turn here and there hoping she had been clever enough not. to try and find her own way around the castle for she'd be hopelessly lost that way. He found her soon enough though, sitting against one of the walls looking quite lost and depressed. Hearing his footsteps she looked up to see him approaching her, her eyes growing wide in mocking disbelief.  
  
"By Merlin, so you actually found out you lost me! Brilliant, very brilliant."  
  
"Shut up," said Snape curtly, "I'm not in the mood for your wisecracks and as you found out earlier I'm not easily intimidated by them. I'm much better with tart remarks than you so you'd better remember, I can still make you cry if I want too." His voice was so ominous and full of venom. Lierin didn't dare to make a remark, for at the moment she was convinced he could do exactly what he said he could do. 

It dawned to her he was still the same bully as he had ever been. It didn't matter if she was his student or his colleague. It didn't matter they were equals now, she was still intimidated by him and she knew he knew, and she found that quite disturbing. He quickly hoisted her to her feet with a little more care than he had been willing to show, but his sudden action caused her to fall against his chest. Lierin couldn't help but notice how muscular it was and she hated herself for that. Quickly she pulled away from him, avoiding his eyes and not wanting him to know that his near presence shocked her senses.  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
Surprised by his sudden concern Lierin slowly nodded her head.  
  
"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you."

Not sure how she'd take his next question, he softly nodded in the direction of her injured leg.  
  
"How is your leg anyway?"  
  
Not sure what to think of him or what to answer, she shyly looked away before answering his question.  
  
"Okay, I guess. It was a long seat. You'd think I would have learned to be more careful by now, wouldn't you?"  
  
Snape smirked at the remark but without his usual mockery.  
  
"I think I'd better not answer that honestly. I might find myself being cursed by you this time."  


Stunned at the fact Snape had actually tried to make a joke Lierin didn't reply, she grinned at him instead.  
  
"Well, if you feel up to it, let me show you to your tower."  
  
With those words Snape finally guided Lierin to her private quarters, this time making sure she could keep up with him.  
  
The next day when Lierin entered the Great Hall to have breakfast, she was stopped by Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore before she could get to her seat.  
  
"Excuse me dear," said Professor McGonagall, "But last night I couldn't help overhearing that short conversation you had with Madam Hooch. I asked her to explain what that was all about. And the Headmaster and I... Well, we were curious about what happened. Something about Madam Hooch remembering something and you should see it as a welcoming gift? We didn't understand, we never saw her give you anything. Madam Hooch just smiled when I asked and...."  
  
Lierin broke out in laughter at McGonagall's poor attempt to ask about the events that took place between Madam Hooch and Lierin years ago.  
  
"I'm sorry Professor McGonagall...."

"Call me Minerva, if you please. We're colleagues now," said Minerva with a little more strictness than she had intended, she gave Lierin a small smile hoping it would soften the strict tone in which she had spoken. 

Lierin smiled back at her. Strange, she thought to herself, strange she had so quickly used the formal way of addressing her former teacher. Maybe she still saw Minerva that way, as her teacher.  
  
"Alright... Minerva. About what happened...um, let me see how I can explain this best. In my days at Hogwarts as a student, Madam Hooch used to pass the menus to the house elves in the kitchen. Whatever was on that menu we would eat. One day during desert I tasted the divine recipe of chocolate meringues with sweet pistachio cream and stewed pears but, unfortunately, we never had it as desert again. So, one day when I had found enough courage, I asked Madam Hooch if she could put it back on the menu again. I'll never forget her face when she told me it would never be on the menu again, as if it was something detestable! Well, to some it probably was detestable because she told me so many students had complained about that specific desert, she had decided never to put it on the menu again. I was shocked at the thought I would have to go through three more years without ever having chocolate meringues again. So, in a moment of impudence I challenged Madam Hooch for a race."  
  
Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling. Yes, that sounded very much like Lierin. Minerva was shocked to say the least.  
  
"Miss Heartilly!" cried Minerva.  
  
"Call me Lierin, if you please. We're colleagues now," said Lierin with a dry smile.  
  
"Yes, of course but.... You challenged a teacher? My goodness child, you are lucky you are not in my house anymore. The impudence of it! I'm afraid I would have had to deduct house points for that!" said Minerva, but the glittering of excitement in her eyes told otherwise. "Well, do go on! What happened?"  
  
"Right, at first Madam Hooch reacted about the same as you just did, but I could also tell she was intrigued. Yet she told me in a very haughty manner I was in no way ready to take her upon a challenge but I was determined. Can you imagine all the fuss I was making over a couple of chocolate meringues?" said Lierin. She stopped for a moment because Professor Flitwick hadn't been able to stifle his laughter. She hadn't noticed that he, too, had joined in the conversation. In fact, she noticed more professors had taken the liberty to listen to her story.  
  
Lierin continued, "Like I said, I was determined..."

"And with a ruling look in her eyes she told me there was only one way to find out if I was right or not," came the familiar voice of Madam Hooch. Lierin swirled around to see the flight instructor standing right behind her. Madam Hooch nodded at her, smiling broadly as if she was proud at Lierin for beating her that day.  
  
"Do you mind awfully much if I tell the story from here?" asked Madam Hooch.  
  
"No, of course not. Take it away," said Lierin.  
  
"Good. Well, of course, I couldn't leave that challenge be. It was a wonderful opportunity to teach a self-assured student a lesson, though, I knew very well that Lierin being self-assured had nothing to do with being haughty but everything with the fact that she was plainly 'bloody brilliant' on a broomstick. I wonder how many times I've heard Charlie Weasley say that. I accepted her challenge, which we would hold right before Quidditch training with Weasley as our witness. I'll never forget that day. She was early and polishing her trusted 'Fury' as I entered the field. The 'Fury' she had developed and crafted herself from fine Silverwood.  
  
The objective was to catch the charmed Golden Snitch, which would lead us through a chase all around Hogwarts. I didn't trust Lierin to charm the snitch so I asked Flitwick to do it.  
  
"Poor thing hadn't a clue what it was all about, now had you Fillius?"  
  
Flitwick chuckled again. "I had no idea but I do find it amusing I had such a wonderful part in this story, but please go on."  
  
Well, there isn't much more to tell anyway. Lierin left me in the dust, though it was an exciting neck-to-neck race, I never stood a chance. Lierin being a Chaser and not a Seeker didn't matter, over the years of playing Quidditch she had taught herself a few neck breaking maneuvers and it didn't take me long to notice she was just toying with me. She won fair and square so I put the chocolate meringues on the menu again but only once a month. The chocolate meringues on the menu last night were just my way of saying welcome to Lierin.  
  
So, how did I do, Lierin?" asked Madam Hooch winding up the story.  
  
"Besides the fact that you are giving me way too much credit, you did splendidly."  
  
"And if we are all done marvelling at your wonderful flying skills, can we please start breakfast?" came the cold voice of Snape who was looking as if a good few hours of sleep wouldn't hurt him.  
  
"And good morning to you too. I can see you are all excited about this years first classes so please don't let me bother you," replied Lierin in a curtly manner.  
  
"If you'll finally shut up and take your seat, you won't," said Snape under his breath for he didn't want Dumbledore to hear the manner in which he had spoken to a professor.  
  
"Ah, I see you are still as charming as ever. Don't forget I'm a professor now, you can't continue the special treatment you save for your students with me."  
  
"Keep talking like that and you'll see what I can and cannot do!"  
  
"Is that a threat, Severus?"  
  
"I wouldn't dare, think of it as a warning. And stop calling me Severus!"  
  
"So it's a threat after all then. And what else am I supposed to call you? If you think I'll just go back to, 'Professor Snape,' you'd better think again."  
  
"Like I said, it's not a threat; it's a promise and I'd prefer it if you wouldn't call me anything at all. In plain English that means: STOP BOTHERING ME!"  
  
Lierin raised an eyebrow at him but she sat down beside him without saying another word.  
  
Soon the students entered the Great Hall for breakfast as well and the first thing Lierin noticed was the Malfoy brat entertaining a large group of Slytherins with a very funny story. When Potter, Weasley and ...she still didn't know the name of the girl who kept tagging along with the two boys... Well, when those three entered the Hall as well, Malfoy did a ridiculous impression of a swooning fit and there was a roar of laughter. Lierin surveyed the boy with mounting dislike. She forced her thoughts in the direction of her classes and she did feel kind of proud that all the third, fourth and fifth years had signed for her classes. Only the sixth and seventh years hadn't bothered and she couldn't blame them for only one or two years of AMA was probably a waste of time. Lierin examined her timetable and noticed that the Gryffindor and Slytherin third years would be her second class. Luckily her first class was well after lunch which would give her plenty of time to prepare for her first class.  
  
She quickly glanced over to Malfoy who was still making fun of Potter.  
  
Just you wait, she thought to herself; I've got a few surprises in store for you.  
  
She noticed that Snape was taking her in again with that same odd, unreadable expression of his and she realised he must have noticed the particularly foul look with which she had been observing Malfoy. Pah! Malfoy was probably his favourite student. Lierin knew very well that Snape had always favoured his own students before all others and Malfoy with his rich and influential father was his most likely choice for being his all-round favourite.  
  
Well, Malfoy was hard on his way of becoming her all-round least favourite student and if Snape could get away with bullying his students then so could she.  
  
After eating her scrambled eggs and her fried toast, Lierin gulped down a goblet filled with orange juice and she decided she needed to have a talk with Hagrid, who, she had noticed with a glance around the staff table, hadn't showed up for breakfast. The Hall was starting to empty as people headed off towards their first lesson and Lierin was finding her way out of the Great Hall together with what seemed to be a truckload of students. When she found herself down the marble stairs she allowed herself to catch her breath before walking over towards the main doors.

Lierin very much enjoyed the walk down the sloping lawns to Hagrid's hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. The air was still cold and a thin mist covering the lands gave the surroundings an eerie atmosphere, exactly the way she liked it. She found Hagrid outside a kind of paddock, but there were no creatures in sight. Well, not yet anyway.  
  
"Good morning, Hagrid. I missed you at breakfast," called Lierin in a cheerful manner.  
  
Hagrid grew shy the second he spotted her and he stopped whatever it was he had been doing.

"Mornin' to yeh too Miss Eart'lly. Been up at five in the mornin' to prepare for my first classes! Got a real treat for 'em today! Gotta great lesson comin' up for 'em alright."  
  
Lierin smiled endearingly at him.  
  
"So what will this wonderful first lesson be all about if I may ask?"  
  
"Hippogriffs!" Hagrid roared happily. "Beau'iful creatures if I may say so and I say so!"  
  
Lierin bit her lip. Hippogriffs, were beautiful creatures, indeed, but also very dangerous. A subject Hagrid might best keep for later for if those creatures were handled without care, accidents might happen. Lierin explained her concern with Hagrid in a most careful way because she didn't want him to think that she saw him as an incapable teacher. Hagrid was very sensitive though his appearance might say otherwise. He also had the tendency to be a little over-enthusiastic when it came to magical creatures. Creatures other people might find dangerous, Hagrid thought them to be cute. As she expected Hagrid did look disappointed when she told him about her concerns.  
  
"What do yeh think I should do then?"  
  
"Hmm, what do you think about...Pearlypods?"  
  
"Pearlypods? There are no Pearlypods round 'ere. Besides, they only com' out if yeh're using a magical flute. Not that I don't 'ave a magical flute. I have one, I honestly do, but that one's just for puttin' some creatures asleep, it ain't calling 'em."  


  
"Okay, I'll make you a deal. I didn't come here to ask about your first lesson. You know, I came here to ask you a favor. So, if you'll help me, I'll help you. What do you say?"  
  
Pleased that Lierin needed his help with something plus the prospect of being able to show his students REAL Pearlypods, Hagrid nodded his head with fervour.  
  
"I'll take that as a yes. Right. Hagrid, do you still have that pendant that you used to wear when I was a student at Hogwarts? You know, the one with that bright blue stone in the middle?"  
  
"Of course I still 'ave that pendant. My father gave that to me when I was just a toddler. Broke it a couple o' times of course. I had to take it off then. I'm still keepin' it safe though."  
  
"Good, do you mind if I use that pendant in my class? It's just for a little while. I didn't know about it at the time but a few years ago it dawned on me that your pendant must be a spell breaker and I could really use that in today's class."  
  
"Of course yeh can use it. Yeh may use it for as long as yeh need it. You'll help me with them Pearlypods then?"  
  
"I promised I would, didn't I? It just so happens that my first class is right after yours, so if you get that pendant ready, I'll take care of those Pearlypods. I bet the lake here might house a few Pearlypods. Do you have a large water tank in which I can put them?"  
  
"You'd better ask Professor Lupin. Saw him carrying around a water tank a couple o'times."  
  
"Right, I'll do that then. You mind if I attend your class after lunch?"  
  
"Of course, not. I'd be happy to have yeh around!"  
  
"Deal! I'll see you after lunch then!" said Lierin and with those words she turned around for she had A LOT of preparing to do.  
  
Lierin didn't have the time to freshen up for lunch and her stomach was growling like a mad bull. The entire morning she had been diving for the large shells that she was certain contained a Pearlypod. The result was a very large water tank with at least twenty Pearlypod shells in it. 

She reckoned Hagrid was as excited as she was for he was beaming around.  
  
Lierin ignored the particularly foul look that Snape was sending her way and she served herself a plate of stew. She spooned the stew into her mouth and hardly gave herself the time to chew it all away. She couldn't help herself, she was famished and as soon as she was finished eating she joined Hagrid with his class.  



	5. Pearlypod pearls

Chapter 5

Hagrid and Lierin were waiting for Hagrid's class at the door of his hut. Hagrid was wearing his moleskin overcoat, with Fang the boarhound at his heels. Lierin was wearing a snow-white tunic with matching snow-white trousers. Her wizard's robes on the other hand were heavenly blue and so were her suede boots. Both Hagrid and Lierin were looking impatient to start.  
  
"C'mon, now, get a move on!" he called, as the class approached. "Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin' up! Everyone here? Right, follow us!"  
  
Hagrid and Lierin strolled off around the edge of the trees, and five minutes later, they found themselves outside a kind of paddock with a very large something concealed with a large linen cloth. From the looks of it probably a terrarium.  
  
"Everyone gather round the fence here!" he called. "That's it! Make sure yeh can see. Now, firs' thing yeh'll want ter do is open yer books."  
  
"How?" said the cold, drawling voice of Draco Malfoy. Lierin was really starting to get fed up with that stuck up kid.  
  
"Eh?" said Hagrid.  
  
"How do we open our books?" Malfoy repeated. He took out his copy of The Monster Book of Monsters, which he had bound shut with a length of rope. Other people took theirs out, too; some, like Potter, had belted their book shut; others had crammed them inside tights bags or clamped them together with bullclips.  
  
"Hasn'- hasn' anyone bin able ter open their books?" said Hagrid, looking crestfallen.  
  
The class all shook their heads.

"Yeh've got ter _stroke_ 'em," said Hagrid, as though this was the most obvious thing in the world. "Look..." He took the copy that the girl with Potter and Weasley offered him (Lierin soon learned that her name was Hermione Granger) and ripped off the Spellotape that bound it. The book tried to bite, but Hagrid ran a giant forefinger down its spine, and the book shivered, and then fell open and lay quietly in his hand.  
  
"Oh, how silly we've all been!" Malfoy sneered. "We should have _stroked_ them! Why didn't we guess!"  
  
Hagrid looked uncertainly at Lierin and Lierin, foreseeing a disaster, decided to take the matter in her own hands. Well, just for a short while until Hagrid felt he could take over again.  
  
"Well, I can certainly see that the students aren't what they used to be!" said Lierin imitating the same mocking voice she had heard Snape use so often.  
  
"We have used that same book when we were in second grade. But maybe Mistew Malfoy is a wittle bit scawed of a big mean biting book. Shall I get you a book that is more suitable for you Mr. Malfoy? I highly recommend Deborah Filltremor's Pre-school book for youngsters preparing themselves for first-grade Care of Magical Creatures Class. It has some lovely pictures of creatures in it that aren't too scary for the likes of you. You think you can handle Jigglypuffs? Those pink fluffy-looking furballs? For Merlin's sake, if you think you can't handle the mature stuff that is written in _The Monster Book of Monsters_ than I highly suggest you start thinking about what, for heaven's sake, you think you are doing in the third year!" cried Lierin in mounting fury. Malfoy had gone even paler than usual but Potter and Granger were smiling broadly. Weasley however was looking as if he had just entered seventh heaven; a smile of pure delight was stuck on his face. Hagrid couldn't stifle a laugh as well and tried to take over his class, though he seemed to have lost his thread because every time he tried to speak he had to laugh as well.  
  
"Right, haha-hum, so yeah've got yer books, hahaha an'....an' now yeh need. What was it you needed again? Jigglypuffs?" he said with a giggle. 

By this time the Gryffindors couldn't repress their fun anymore and they burst out in a loud laughter. The Slytherins were awfully quiet though.  
  
"Sorry, 'bout that. Let us move on to the Magical Creatures. Yeah. So I'll just remove the cloth. Hang on...." Hagrid entered the paddock and pulled away the cloth, revealing some kind of large aquarium filled with...shells? Everybody looked at the shells with a questioning look in their eyes.  
  
"Pearlypods!" Hagrid roared happily, waving a hand at them. Most of the students still didn't understand the fuss about some stupid shells.  
  
"So," said Hagrid, rubbing his hands together and beaming around. "If yeh wan' ter come a bit nearer...."  
  
Potter, Weasley and the Granger girl were the first the approach the fence and so did the rest, how dangerous could shells be?  
  
"Now, firs' thing yeh gotta know abou' Pearlypods is how to call 'em. Yeh have to hypnotize them with music from a magical flute. Professor Heartilly here kindly allowed me to use hers. Now, she only 'as one so yeh've to switch the flute amongst each other. Now, every Pearlypod has a differen' liking to music so even though yeh see 'ere twenty shells, when yeh play the flute only three might come out. If they like your music, they'll fly towards you and reward you with a pearly lookin' thingy. My guess is that if yeh manage to collect a few of them pearlies, at least Madam Pomfrey and Professor Sprout will be very grateful. They use them a lot but them pearlies are very rare. Are wanted often in potions too I think. Now, who wants ter go first?"  
  
All students raised their hands and Granger was jumping up and down, waving her hand so Hagrid would choose her first. Hagrid was beaming around and Lierin felt happy she had been able to stop Hagrid from using the Hippogriffs.  
  
"Alright then, Harry, let's see how yeh get on with them Pearlypods."  
  
Lierin approached Harry with a golden box in her hands. She opened up the box and handed him the magical flute. He looked at her shyly.  
  
"What do I do now?"  


"Just play the flute and see what happens." Lierin replied in a cheerful manner.   
  
"Just play the flute and see what happens." Harry muttered while he entered the paddock.  
  
In the paddock he sat himself down on the damp grass and raised the flute to his mouth.  
  
The first tones were false but in a short while he was getting the hang of it and the most bizarre tones emerged from the flute, sounding a bit like what an underwater organ might sound like.  
  
Suddenly the water started to bubble and nine shells opened up, venting nine small creatures to the surface.  
  
"Ooooooooooooh!" squealed Lavender Brown, pointing towards the nine creatures. Flying towards him were the strangest creatures Harry had ever seen. They had the small bodies and heads of sea horses and were covered with bright blue scales that looked like they were made of mother-of-pearl.  
  
Their wings were long and silvery looking, like the wings of a dragonfly and they had strange looking tails in the form of a fan and held every color of the rainbow.  
  
Soon the first was hovering near him and produced a great, soft, pearly looking ball out of his snout and placed it in front of Harry. After doing so it retreated to his shell. After the rest of the Pearlypods had rewarded Harry with nine pearls, they flew back to their shells and Harry stopped playing the flute.  
  
"Well done, Harry!" said Hagrid, ecstatic. "Right! Who wants ter go next?" Again all the students raised their hands and Harry collected his nine pearls with a large grin on his face.  
  
Soon the tones of the magical flute filled the air as the flute was passed over and over to the students. Most students managed to get five to eight pearls from the Pearlypods. Granger managed to get a nice sum of fifteen.  
  
Crabbe and Goyle got only one but that was one more than Malfoy, the shells just didn't open for him. Only one person managed to get a pearl from every Pearlypod. Neville Longbottom, who was beaming around, counted his twenty pearls over and over again, unable to believe his eyes, afraid that they might disappear if he didn't count them again and again and again.  
  
"Well done Mr. Longbottom. I'm sure Madam Pomfrey, Professor Sprout or Professor Snape will be very pleased with them. Have you decided yet to whom you'll give the pearls?" said Lierin warmly.  
  
"N-n-no, not yet Professor Heartilly. I was thinking.... maybe Professor Snape would approve of these pearls?" Longbottom said hesitatingly. Lierin smiled at him, she knew how afraid Longbottom was of Snape and obviously he desperately wanted to gain Snape's approval.  
  
Like that was ever going to happen, she thought.  
  
"I'm sure he'll be very pleased with them," said Lierin, though she highly doubted if Longbottom would get any praise from him, he only gave praise to his precious Slytherins.  
  
"Now move along then. You don't want to be late for your next class!"  
  
The broad grin quickly vanished from the poor boy's face as he realised in how much trouble he'd get if he were late for Potions. He muttered a small "goodbye" before he turned around and joined his friends. Lierin couldn't repress a smile when she saw Longbottom proudly showing his pearls to his friends - again.  
  
Lierin's first week of teaching went by rather smoothly. She could tell that the children were interested in her classes and that made her very happy. The fact that her students really were interested was probably because she was a formidable teacher and her love for her job and the passion she felt towards 'tomb-raiding' rubbed off on the students. Only the Slytherins weren't really happy with her and Draco Malfoy hated her. Needless to say, that feeling was mutual and Lierin did nothing to hide her disgust for him. She often took him as an example for a new project and his careless ways always got him into trouble. Luckily the spellbreaker she had gotten from Hagrid prevented some real or permanent damage but you couldn't say the same of Malfoy's pride. Every time she humiliated him, it left a huge dent in his male pride and the Slytherins became more and more reluctant to attend her classes. Lierin shared the same sentiment about them and it was one evening when she was marking Slytherin essays that her left leg started to hurt like hell, indicating she had been straining herself again. She really had to learn to take it easy if she wanted to live with less pain. After a couple of hours of marking essays, rubbing her leg, marking more essays, endlessly massaging the muscles of her leg again, more essays, leg, essays, leg essays, she let out an annoyed groan and she got up to get a Pain-relieving Potion from Madam Pomfrey. Unfortunately, Madam Pomfrey told her that she had ran through her supplies of Pain-relieving Potions and that she was still waiting for Severus to replenish her supplies. Would she mind terribly much to ask him if he...  
  
"No, of course I don't mind. I'll just go and ask him then," replied Lierin, though she couldn't keep the disappointment from her voice.  
  
With a heavy feeling in her stomach, Lierin descended the cold, stone stairs leading to the cold and eerie dungeons. She'd never felt at ease in the dungeons and Snape certainly didn't try to make it look comfy. As she entered the dungeons, she felt as if she were a young schoolgirl again on her way to Potions class and that feeling was quite disturbing since Snape had always done his very best to make her years at school as miserable as possible. Her emotions were really taking a spin with her the moment she actually entered Snape's classroom. For a short moment she actually thought she was about to have Potions lesson and in a flash she saw her best friend sitting at his desk, preparing ingredients for a creepy potion until it dawned on her that she was in fact seeing his siblings, Fred and George Weasley.  
  
A quick smile at the boys and they relaxed again, they were obviously waiting for Snape to give them detention.  
  
"Misters Weasley, tomorrow evening at eight o'clock sharp, I expect you to cut out a new stock of Fungulus rat livers for me. I expect double the amount of what you managed to ruin in my potions class today," sounded the icy cold voice of Snape, and Lierin thought she was about to have a heart attack. He had crept up behind her! Fred and George scowled at Snape as they left the dungeons, obviously not happy about their detention and Lierin could very well understand why. Back in her own days at school, if you had really crossed Snape, he would always let you cut a fresh stock of Fungulus rat livers for him. It really was the worst punishment he could give you, for cutting out those livers was something ghastly because the obnoxious looking nude rats with red beady eyes, spread an awful stench the moment you cut them open. The stench they spread was revolting and sickening; the stench drenched your clothes and it clogged every pore in your skin. Well, it probably was the best defence those rats had, because no creature would even consider trying to eat them.  
  
Lierin watched the Weasley twins leave with a look of sympathy in her soft blue eyes, eyes that grew dark and cold the second she turned around to face Snape.  
  
"Do I dare ask what crime those boys committed in your class to deserve a detention like that? Did they make to much of a noise in your class, like breathing?"  
  
"Are you criticizing the way I teach my classes?" replied Snape in his soft silky voice, soft and silky usually meant danger but Lierin didn't care.  
  
"Yes I am. As a teacher you have a lot of influence in a huge part of children's lives and I know that it must be very easy for you to bully your students around, except for your precious Slytherins of course, but that is so wrong! No wonder all the students hate and despise you! And it's because of the likes of you that children will always be afraid of a certain class while that shouldn't even be necessary! They are here to learn! You should fill their minds with knowledge for heaven's sake! But you fill their minds with terror instead!"  
  


"And who are you to judge me? Don't tell me, you're a noble ex-Gryffindor student who finds it her duty to keep those other poor Gryffindors out of the clutches of the wicked Potions Master!"  
  
"Well, yes. Something like that."  
  
Snape looked down at her and a condescending smile formed on his lips. His eyes were burning with loathing as always, but there was also a hint of amusement in them, and Lierin knew he was going to humiliate her. She put up all of her defences, trying to prepare herself for anything he might throw at her.  
  
"That is _so _typical of you Gryffindors. Blaming other people, throwing around all sorts of accusations and completely ignorant and oblivious of your own flaws. Here you are, accusing me of "bullying" students while you are, in fact, no different from me. You, noble as you are, are just like me."  
  
Lierin arched an eyebrow and she mockingly smiled at Snape.  
  
"Do you see me stalking down the corridors like an overgrown bat, scaring the wits out of students and threatening them with punishment for merely breathing? No. Do you see students trembling with fear at the very beginning of my class, or do you see their eyes widening in terror every time they hear my name? No. Do you see me generally favouring my students over others? Do you see me deducting house points for small offences of regulations? No. Do you see me tormenting students for my own sick, spiteful satisfaction? No. So you see, I can't be like you!"  
  
"Lierin, Lierin, Lierin. Now do you see that Gryffindors are oblivious of their own flaws? You DO favour your students over others. You favour your students over MY students. My students DO tremble with fear hearing your name. My students ARE afraid of your lesson, afraid they might end up as a genie in a bottle like you did with Malfoy, or they might end up as mindless zombies under your complete control like you did with Malfoy, or they might be affected by a painful curse like you did with Malfoy. Do you want me to continue?"

  
Lierin said nothing, she couldn't. The only thing she could do was grit her teeth and clench her hands to fists, watching him with smouldering hate in her sapphire eyes, now darkened with anger.  
  
"I am nothing like you and you know nothing about me!"  
  
The wry smile that had played on Snape's lips, turned into a condescending sneer.  
  
"Oh, but you are wrong, Lierin. I know you even better than you think. I know how much you hate me for injuring your leg beyond healing. I can sense the resentment you feel for me. Yes, I can almost touch it - taste it! You don't fool me; your eyes betray you! No, I don't see you stalking down the corridors like an 'overgrown bat', I see you limping along the corridors like a bloody idiot, trying to get staff and students on you hand by raising sympathy!"  
  
"Shut up..." Lierin interrupted him, but Snape couldn't stop, not now, not now he was on a roll.  
  
"You shut up! That foolish limping is just your pathetic little way of taking revenge, ignorant of the fact that it's to no avail and thus a waste of your precious time. And time IS precious for you. You'd do better to invest your time in actually teaching your students something instead of the hocus pocus you are filling their heads with instead. Teach them something useful! Or stop wasting the school funds and do everybody a favour and leave!"  
  
SLAP!  
  
Lierin was seething and she had taken Snape by surprise by slapping him hard in the face. Her face was flustered with anger and she was about to reprimand him for his insolent behaviour or maybe she was about to insult him as well. Either way, she was about to say something but the stern voice cutting through the air like a sharp knife sure as hell wasn't hers. Though she thoroughly wished it was because that would mean _she_ wasn't there.  
  
"Miss Heartilly!" sounded McGonagalls shrill voice which made Lierin feel like a schoolgirl again who was about to be reprimanded.  
  
"Dear heavens, I can see you are still the same rash and impulsive girl you have always been! You never learn do you? If we are angry with someone, we try and talk it out; we DON'T SLAP EACH OTHER IN THE FACE! Even though some of us might deserve it sometimes." With those words Minerva casually glimpsed at Snape who was now wearing his usual stoic mask. He arched an eyebrow but said nothing.

"I'm very disappointed in you, Lierin. I'm afraid I shall have to report this to the Headmaster. We really can't allow such behaviour. As a teacher you should always be in control of yourself, you should be a balanced person - a person students can look up to. You just showed that you are quite the opposite. I suggest you keep yourself in hand next time. We don't have room for teachers who don't pull their weight."  
  
The threat was clear. One more mistake and she was out.  
  
"That goes for you too Severus!" McGonagall shot a few last angry glares at both the teachers before she disappeared. Lierin could feel a lump in her throat. Minerva was right about one thing, she needed to have a talk with Dumbledore and be honest with him. She needed to tell him the _real_ reason she was here and she couldn't allow Snape to ruin her mission. Lierin turned around to face Snape, who had just been standing a few feet away from her, to blame him for the entire situation, but he startled her by suddenly standing right behind her instead of just a few feet away.  
  
"Oh Lierin, still so rash and impulsive. It's delicious to see that you still act before you think. You really should learn to listen more carefully, I could hear McGonagall from a few hallways away. She really has a distinctive walk you know."  
  
His warm baritone voice was rich like velvet and sounded low and seductive. Snape gently cupped her face with his hand, softly stroking her lower lip with his thumb. Her lips were so full, so sensual, and so rosy. Begging to be kissed.  
  
"Ah Lierin, as unpredictable as the wind or maybe just as predictable as the wind. Doesn't matter. So impulsive, naive, hotheaded, precipitous..."  
  
He slowly dipped his head and the next words were barely a whisper and Lierin could feel her heart race in her throat. Was he really about to do what she was thinking he would do?  
  
"...It almost tu..." With shock Snape snapped back to reality and he realised what he had almost done. Disgusted by himself he wheeled around and stalked off to his desk. When he spoke again, the warm seductive baritone voice was gone and he used his iciest of voices instead.  
  
"But I don't think you came here to insult me. Well, maybe you did but I trust it wasn't your initial purpose. Prey tell me, was there a special reason that you'd honour me with your visit?"  
  
Lierin could feel the colour drain away from her face. The Pain-relieving Potion! She had forgotten all about it! There wasn't even a snowball's chance in hell he'd give her that potion now! Yet she decided to take her chances but before she was able to talk she had to clear the lump that had formed in her throat.  
  
"Yes, Madam Pomfrey sent me. She's completely out of Pain-relieving Potion and she wanted me to ask how you were getting along with it."  
  
What Snape felt was far beyond annoyance. He hated to play the pharmacist for Madam Pomfrey and she knew there were regular days he made that potion. If she was through her stock before that...bad luck, he had better things to do now.  
  
"You can tell Madam Pomfrey that she can return tomorrow. She knows very well that I only make that potion on Wednesday and Friday. Now get lost, I'm still preparing my lessons for tomorrow!"  
  
Lierin only made a small sound of both pain and disappointment. Her left leg was killing her and she was afraid she was about to collapse to the ground right then and there. The sound she made was barely audible but Snape's hearing must have been supernatural for he looked up and noticed the look of pain on Lierin's face. A cruel smile appeared on his lips again and Lierin knew he understood completely and he probably enjoyed every second of her anguish.  
  
"Ah, now I understand the true reason you're here. You need that potion yourself, don't you?  
  
Well, you can come back again tomorrow. Maybe I'll have that potion ready by nine o'clock in the evening."  
  
Lierin gritted her teeth. She knew what he was up to and his next words proved her right.  
  
"But...maybe if you asked me very...nicely.... I just might make an exception and brew you the potion right after I finish this. Maybe if you'd ask me...nice...enough, I might get in the proper potion-brewing mood."  
  
If he really thought that she was going to beg him, he was dead wrong! Lierin thought to herself, seething with anger. She'd rather rip her leg off, chew the flesh away and put the bone way up her...  
"My, my. Don't we have a vivid imagination? A very sick, but vivid imagination. I never would have guessed you harboured such feelings!"  
  
Too late Lierin discovered that she had spoken aloud. Her eyes were flashing with anger and Snape knew that all the presumptions about the devil were wrong. The devil wasn't male but female, for she was standing right in front of him, and Hell wasn't reigned with fire but with ice, because the cool stare in her now icy blue eyes could freeze Hell over in a split-second.  
  
"You know what? Never mind that potion. I don't need it. I don't even want it anymore, not even if you'd present it to me in a golden goblet! I knew I shouldn't even have bothered. It's so typical of you, you know?  
  
You enjoy other people's suffering way to much to help them out."  
  
"Oh I'm _so_ sorry. I didn't know your leg was hurting so much. My heart is bleeding for you!"  
  
"Spare me your sympathy, I can do very well without it!"  
  
"I didn't say you couldn't."  
  
"Then don't say your heart is 'bleeding for me!'"  
  
"I was merely being sarcastic. Dear Merlin, can't you even recognise a sarcastic remark if you hear one?"  
  
"I know you were being sarcastic. Now I also know why you always stayed alone. I bet no one could put up with you longer than just a few days. I have always known no woman could ever fall in love with you but thank you for proving me right anyway."  
  
Snape was white-hot with anger, she was really pushing it now!  
  
"Really, no one could fall in love with me? I hate to burst your bubble silly girl, but women HAVE fallen in love with me! I just didn't fall in love with THEM! They are just a waste of my time anyway!"  
  
"Yes well, do forgive me for not believing you. It's hard to imagine that someone would fall for your lovely manners and jolly moods."  
  
"Are you sure you weren't bitten in your leg by one of your pets from hell?" asked Snape in a sarcastic manner.  
  
"Yes, by a stupid mutt called Severus Snape! I really should put the creature out of its misery; it's to dumb to know when it's time for a good bath! By the way, I'd rather be with a three-legged man with pointy horns and a hairy tail before I'd even consider being with you!" With that Lierin wheeled around and left a furious Snape behind, rigid with anger and clenching his hand to his fist..  
  
"We'll see about that, Miss Heartilly. We'll see about that!" he hissed.   



	6. Between a rock and a hard place

Chapter 6

Lierin was fuming; she was angry at herself and even more angry with Snape. She was so, stupid, stupid, stupid! When would she ever learn not to get in Snape's way? She had made the mistake to think that she could make remarks on his teaching methods and get away with it. She should have known he would settle the score. He had lured her into a trap and she had fallen for it with her eyes wide open. McGonagall was right, she wasn't cut out to be a teacher and it was probably a good thing she wasn't really here to teach at all. 

A pang of guilt shot through her like a lightning bolt and she knew why. She had tricked Dumbledore in giving her the job as an Ancient Magical Artifacts teacher and she felt sorry for deceiving him. Of course McGonagall had gone straight to Dumbledore after her little display of indiscretion and as a result the Headmaster had sent for her. Now Lierin was on her way to see the Headmaster and she intended to be completely honest about the real reason she was here. She touched the hidden ring on the chain around her neck for insurance.

"Nightfall's gain", she thought. It had everything to do with the reason she was really here and now she hoped she could convince the Headmaster to let her stay and continue her mission. She hurried down the moving stairs without paying attention and before she knew what happened, she had bumped into one of her students. The force of their collision caused the poor boy to fall down the stairs and Lierin scrambled to her feet to help him. It wasn't until Lierin had helped the boy to his feet again that she recognised the boy.

"Mr. Longbottom. I'm so sorry, I guess I wasn't paying attention. You see, I'm on my way to.... Uhm, never mind. Are you all right? Wait a minute, what are you doing outside the common room at this ungodly hour? Its way past curfew, you shouldn't even be here!"

Longbottom's cheeks stained a pretty shade of red and he mumbled something that could either mean he was okay or he wasn't okay and he probably also gave her an explanation but Lierin couldn't make much of it. She smiled to herself even though her leg had got a nasty blow somewhere during their collision. Looking at Longbottom she remembered his outstanding results in Hagrid's class and she was curious about Snape's reaction.

"So, have you given Professor Snape the Pearlypod pearls yet? I'm sure he was very pleased with them. He should be anyway."

If possible, Longbottom grew even redder in the face and he shyly looked away from his teacher. Lierin didn't need to hear more, she already knew what was going on.

"You haven't given them yet, haven't you? Why not?"

"I-I don't really know Professor. I just didn't seem to find the right time to give them to him. Every time I want to give them to him, he...he just stares at me and I clam up. And...and he's been in such a terrible mood lately that I'm afraid to give them to him." 

Longbottom looked down at the toes of his shoes and Lierin could see he was on the brink of tears. She felt so sorry for the poor boy and she wished she could get through to that thick skull of Severus.

"I know, I'm acting like a coward and I should just give them to him. But....are you sure he'll be pleased if I give them to him, Professor?"Lierin looked at the serious expression on Longbottom's face and she knew she shouldn't lie to him.

"I really don't know. Look, Neville...I know you're not doing very well in your classes. You're barely average in most of them and you are downright lousy in potions."

The boy looked as if he would break down in tears so Lierin gently put a hand on his shoulder and forced him to look at her.

"Now, don't start to cry. Just listen to what I have to say. I also know you did a great job in Care of Magical Creatures and I also know Professors Lupin and Sprout are quite content to have you in class. So what if you are not excelling in every subject like Miss Granger? 

So what if one person might seem to be more gifted than the other? We all have our talents like you have yours. Use them wisely and don't think about what you _might_ have been if you had the right talents, think about what you _can be_ with the talents you _do_ have. If you really want to give Professor Snape the Pearlypod pearls you should just do so without expecting praise from him because you know you did good. If you are really uncertain about giving them to him, give them to Professor Sprout or Madam Pomfrey for they at least will be very pleased to receive them from you."

Neville Longbottom fought back his tears and he smiled up at Lierin.

"Now cheer up, I don't want to see those tears anymore!" Lierin started to ascend the stairs again and Neville followed. About half way up, Lierin hesitated and placed her foot on the second next step to avoid the false step, which would crumple away. You could get a terrible accident if you didn't look out for that step. Confidently Lierin placed her foot on the step and was about to take another step upwards when the step plus the next three steps crumpled away. With a loud scream Lierin fell through the stairs towards the stone solid floor far beneath her. 

"Professor Heartilly!" screamed Neville.

*************************************************************

Only one thought crossed her mind when Lierin crashed through the stairs.

"The wrong step. It's the wrong step!"

She kept repeating it to herself as if it were an ancient mantra that could prevent her from plummeting to her death but she kept falling down towards the solid stone floor beneath her. The same thought crossed Neville's mind as he watched in horror as his teacher disappeared through the steps of the moving stairs. In his mind, he played back the entire scene and he counted the steps his teacher had taken and he could clearly see or better yet, he could clearly remember how she had avoided the false step. So how could it be the step had just crumpled away from beneath her feet? But it hadn't been just the false step hadn't it? At least four steps had just crumpled away! Neville scrambled to his feet to look down the hole and just as he saw how two large floor tiles moved away to swallow up his teacher into whatever it was that was down there, the staircase fixed itself and the hole was gone. Astonished Neville looked around, not quite sure what to do next until it dawned to him if he didn't go look for help soon, it would be too late for his teacher. So Neville took off at a run and he ran through the isolated hallways as fast as his legs could carry him. 

He didn't give himself the time to think about to whom he should turn to for help, but soon fate resolved that problem for him. He didn't need to look for the right person; he bumped into to right person, literally. 

"Mr. Longbottom, do I dare ask why you are running around through the hallways like a madman, AFTER curfew?"

The silky voice alone was enough to chill the blood running through his veins and Neville looked up at Snape from the ground. His behind was sore from the two times this evening he had fallen to the ground and running into Snape was like running into a solid wall. But Neville could only wish he had walked against a wall. At least a wall wouldn't look so menacing and threatening after you collided with it. Neville gulped and tried to find the courage needed to say something to Snape.

"I'm terribly sorry Professor Snape, but I was on my way to get help for Professor Heartilly. I really must be..." Neville stopped talking as soon as he realised Professor Snape could help.

"You can help her! Please, if you follow me, sir. I don't know exactly what happened but the moving stairs acted funny, she's gone, I couldn't see her anymore, the steps just crumbled away and she disappeared through the floor! She's down there!"

"Mr. Longbottom! Would you slow down! You are making about as much sense as a chocolate fire screen! Now, come on; don't distress yourself even further. Pull yourself together and tell me what happened. Slowly!"

"But Professor Snape, we don't have time for that! The step on which Professor Heartilly had been standing, just crumbled away from beneath her feet and when she was about to fall to the floor, the tiles of the Hogwarts crest just moved aside to let her fall through!"

Snape gazed at Longbottom with a very skeptical look in his eyes but when he noticed the very serious expression on the boy's face, every trace of a doubt that was left in his mind simply vanished. 

"Now you are making sense. You go on and explain what happened to the Headmaster. I'll go ahead and see what I can do. The crest of Hogwarts you said?" asked Snape worried. 

All of a sudden, his sarcastic demeanor was gone and a small part of his true nature broke through his charade of the stoic, cruel and sarcastic teacher who loved to bully students around. Now a small part was revealed of the man he used to be, a man with a beating heart like everyone else, a man that could feel joy as well as pain, a man who could be worried, like he was now. 

He didn't waste another second and he ran into the direction of the moving stairs. Had students been in the hallways, they'd probably have been shocked to see the Potions Master running down the corridors as if his life depended on it. With his black robes billowing behind him he resembled more of an avenging angel than a rescuing angel. Or worse, he resembled the devil himself who was about to cast his judgment over a very unfortunate soul. Snape didn't know why, but the knowledge something awful had happened to Lierin made his heart beat violently in his throat. He shouldn't care, heaven knew he cared about no one else than himself. He had stopped caring for anyone after that horrible accident that took place a few years ago! When Snape finally arrived at the scene of the incident there was nothing to be seen. Everything seemed to be just fine; nothing was out of order. He looked about a couple of times but as it was after curfew, the halls were completely desolated. Not entirely sure what to do next, Snape just stood there as if he were waiting for a luminous idea to kick in. He examined the tiles on the floor but there were no signs at all of some kind of abduction. There were no signs of a struggle, no hole in the steps of the moving stairs, no plaster on the ground - absolutely nothing. 

However, Longbottom had clearly stated two tiles of the Hogwarts crest had moved aside, allowing Lierin to fall right through the floor. So, he was dealing with a secret entrance then. Lucky for him he knew exactly what to do with hidden entrances. Snape closed his eyes for a brief moment, took a deep breath and pulled out his wand from his sleeve. 

"Alohomora enigma!", sounded his voice through the empty space and the secret entrance opened up revealing an enormous chasm below. In awe, Snape lowered his wand and gazed at the entrance of this netherworld. 

He was quite sure no one was aware of the existence of the underground tunnel or whatever it was. Last year even Dumbledore was surprised when the Chamber of Secrets proved to be much more than just a myth and he had never uttered one word that proved he knew about all this. Snape peered down the hole but it was too dark to see anything. An eerie coldness crept up from the deep pit leaving a very unsettling feeling in his stomach and he noticed his hands had slightly started to tremble. Snape, feeling rather uncomfortable, wondered what it was that could cause him to react that way. He had always prided himself for both his physical and his mental strength. 

He was a strong man; he had to be, or else he would never been able to handle the current situation that was thrust upon him. 

In daytime he was the formidable Potions Master who rained his students with an iron fist and often in nighttime he was the loyal servant of the dreaded Lord Voldemort - or so the Dark Lord believed. In fact, Severus Snape was a spy for the Ministry of Magic and he took his job very seriously, for it wasn't entirely without danger. Sometimes, when Voldemort was in a vindictive mood, he enjoyed torturing his Death Eaters pretending he was 'testing' them for their loyalty and it was after those dreadful nights Snape's cruel demeanor reached horrifying heights. He had to admit, he loved to see his students squirm and suffer, especially Gryffindor students after a long night of pain and humiliation. He knew both students and teachers loathed him. They could hardly stand him for his biased opinion about his students, but Snape justified his hatred for Gryffindor House by reminding himself what they were capable of - something McGonagall had chosen to forget and something Snape would never be able to forgive nor forget. 

Looking at the floor through which Lierin had disappeared, thousands of thoughts and emotions surged through his body and mind and unwanted memories of an incident that took place years ago breached his usually indifferent sentiments. An incident which had deepened his hatred for the House of Gryffindor, an incident which had taken the life of a young Gryffindor girl who should have been a Slytherin from day one, an incident known to insiders of the school as 'The one time the Sorting Hat was wrong'. He didn't know why on earth Lierin's disappearance brought back memories of that incident. The two incidents were in no way related to one another, or so at least he thought. It would take him at least until the end of the year before he would finally understand. At the moment, from his point of view he had two options; one, walk away and leave it up to Dumbledore to clean up the mess or two, go in and try to rescue Lierin. Surprised, Snape noticed a sensational tension building up inside of him as he thought of Lierin. 

Not the Lierin Heartilly the young brat he had experienced in his classes but Lierin Heartilly, teacher at Hogwarts, and still the most annoying, disturbing, unsettling, aggravating and unnerving person he had ever met in his entire life. With a deep sigh Snape lowered himself down the hole, seeking a way to climb down and for the first time in his life he cursed himself for not paying enough attention in Charms for by the love of Merlin, he could not remember the correct levitation spell. Snape searched his mind for possible solutions and decided to create a wall, which he could use to climb down. 

"Wall!" 

Immediately a single rock at the bottom of the chasm started to multiply itself and soon a wall steadily grew itself up towards Snape. Snape was the first one to admit it was a lame spell. It was a spell you learnt as a first years Hogwarts' student in Defence Against the Dark Arts class. It was a defence spell, which was usually countered by the "Crumble" spell. Luckily, this time around there wasn't an adversary who could counter his spell and the "Wall' spell proved to be quite effective. Snape, still hanging at the ledge of the chasm, jumped over to the wall.

But as soon as he placed his foot in a small crack, the improvised foothold crumbled away and Snape slid away and fell down at least a couple of feet before he could grab a hold again. A dark look appeared in his eyes and Snape, not being a cowardly person, he only thought to himself, "Lierin should be mighty grateful." A very faint swishing sound penetrated his thoughts and he turned his head to look down but it was still too dark.

"Lumos!" 

His wand started to spread a faint light but still Snape couldn't see anything. With a heavy sigh Snape started to climb down, very aware of the swishing sound accompanied by the same disturbing feeling he had experienced before. When he was about half way down, or so he guessed, he stopped for a moment to look down again. This time he could make out a few shadowy figures but nothing concrete yet.

Swish, swish, swish it went, and with a shock Snape realised the swishing sound he was hearing, was the sound of robes slightly brushing the floor. He started to climb down faster. Swish, swish, swish, thump, thump, thump. He could now clearly hear the swishing accompanied by his own heartbeat and the disturbing feeling was followed with an awful wave of coldness. His stomach made strange jolts until he thought he was about to throw up. 

__

"I'm sorry I couldn't be a Slytherin, Professor. I'm sorry I couldn't make you proud of me." 

"I AM proud of you and you ARE a Slytherin. You'll always be a Slytherin to me!"

The sounds of memories long forgotten pushed their way into his memory and Snape had to close his eyes to force them away. He needed to concentrate on the task ahead and Snape moved down again repressing the urge to quickly climb up again and get the hell out of there. After what seemed like an eternity Snape stopped again to look down and he received the first shock when he saw Lierin lying down in an awkward position. It looked as if she was either unconscious or dead. He believed the latter for no one could survive a fall like that. But she was a witch and what if she had somehow protected herself? He had to try to find out. He received the second shock when he noticed tall cloaked figures were approaching Lierin with their arms stretched out to her and immediately Snape understood the disturbing feelings. They were memories he desperately wanted to forget... and the sudden coldness! Those weren't ordinary wizards down there - they were the DEMENTORS! If that were true and they were after Lierin, then she was in grave danger. 

He pushed aside at least a hundred questions like, "What were they doing down there? Why were they after Lierin? Had they used a trick to trap down Lierin? HOW did they get there? How did they know about this secret place?" Snape realised he had to act fast or it would be too late for Lierin. Well, it would be if they were planning on giving her the "Dementor's Kiss" and judging by their sudden rattling breaths, they were. Snape knew the spell that would get rid of the dementors, but he also knew what it took to be able to cast the spell, happy thoughts. Snape searched his memory for a happy moment but he came up with nothing. A sad and desperate feeling threatened to overwhelm him as he realised how little happiness he had known in his life. He could think of absolutely nothing and he just needed one happy thought. Oh, how disappointed Dumbledore would be! Snape let that thought sink in to him and suddenly he realised Dumbledore was the solution! The only moment he had been truly happy was the night Dumbledore had forgiven him his treason and had appointed him as the new Potions Master. With renewed confidence, Snape jumped down the last few metres and that way he drew the attention of the dementors towards himself. Snape however, didn't give them the chance to react and he pulled out his wand and pointed it at them. He concentrated on his happy moment and expected enough happiness to well up in him to give him strength.

"Expecto patronus!" 

But to his great disappointment his patronus was small and weak and the softly shimmering silvery shadow faintly slithered towards the dementors and Snape realised it wouldn't thwart the dementors for very long so he hustled past them, took Lierin in his arms and ran towards the wall. 

Again he shouted, "Expecto patronus!" But he knew whatever came from the wand would dissolve after just a few seconds. 

He reached the wall but then he realised it was virtually impossible to climb back up again with this precious burden in his arms. 

He looked down at the young woman in his arms and concerned he noticed she was, indeed, in bad shape. He shot a worried look at the dementors behind him and he noticed the dementors had got rid of his pathetic little patronus and if it weren't for the fact he couldn't see their faces, he would have thought they were furious. He needed to find a way back up fast! Very carefully he touched the ground with the tip of his wand trying not to let Lierin fall and with his wand he drew a circle around them. 

"Leviosa selecta!" 

Several tremors shot through the ground on which he was standing and suddenly the top layer of the floor let go and carried them up. Snape couldn't help himself and a small smile appeared on his lips when he saw the Dementors getting smaller and smaller while his levitator carried them up. Suddenly a wave of coldness and nausea threatened Snape to lose his balance and a sudden tremor through the levitator nearly caused him to fall down. Snape looked down and saw how the Dementors had gathered beneath the levitator and somehow, without using wands or spells, they forced the levitator to come back down. Snape wasn't a person to easily panic and often enough his wits and quick thinking had kept him alive. He glared down at the Dementors with a cool gaze in his eyes and he kept a calm composure but he knew he had to find away out before the Dementors had them in their clutches again. 

"Multiplus!" 

Suddenly a copy of his levitator appeared and quickly he jumped over to it while casting the "Wingardium leviosa" spell over it forcing it to move up. He could almost sense their confusion as the other levitator went down without human prey to feast upon and, more importantly, without Lierin. The Dementors couldn't see so they tried to pick up trace emotions but because Snape kept a stoic composure and Lierin was unconscious, the Dementors had a hard time tracing them. Snape, still moving up, cast the 'Wingardium leviosa" spell on the levitator which had reached the floor and it went up again and just in time because he could feel the Dementors were focusing on him again. Slowly the levitator moved down but this time it's duplicate was moving up. 

A wry smile appeared around Snape's lips and as the two levitators were aligned, he jumped over to the levitator moving up and left the Dementors confused again when they found nothing on the second levitator. Again they lifted up their hooded heads and this time they could track Snape's emotions almost immediately due to his excitement. Snape cursed himself for letting his guard down so easily when he noticed the levitator was moving down again. 

This time he tried to cast 'Wingardium leviosa' on the levitator he was standing on but the Dementors' magic was much stronger. Still moving down, Snape cast 'Wingardium leviosa' on the levitator down with the dementors but it didn't move up. 

"So, you are smarter than you look" Snape thought to himself. "We'll see how you can manage three levitators! Multiplus!" 

A third levitator appeared and Snape jumped over to it casting 'Wingardium Leviosa' on it for the upward movement. His arms started to tremble and he found out it was quite tricky jumping up and down the levitators while carrying an unconscious woman in his arms. Of course, he could cast the 'Mobilicorpus' spell on Lierin but he was too afraid the dementors would counter that spell as well. At least he was certain of her safety as long as he held her in his arms, or so he made himself believe. The truth was, holding her close to him felt too good to simply cast a spell over her. The levitator still carried them up and Snape could faintly smell the scent surrounding Lierin. Her scent reminded him of a valley in spring during a mild rain and his heart started to beat faster. 

He realised his mistake when he felt the now familiar tremor and he cursed again as the levitator moved down. He pointed his wand down with every intention to set one of the other levitators in motion but the sight of two dementors on each of the levitator moving up fast made him change his mind. He tried to create a fourth levitator but to his astonishment they had somehow blocked his magic. 

There he was, holding Lierin in his arms moving right down towards the dementors. With the corner of his eyes he noticed the wall created by himself and he knew that, if he still wanted a chance to get out of there, he had to take the risk and use the wall to climb up. Snape lifted Lierin over his shoulder and he prepared himself to jump. However, preparing to jump and actually jumping were two entirely different things. Snape looked down and noticed the gap between him and the dementors was closing rapidly and without thinking twice he jumped and ... flew up! Suddenly a high shrieking noise filled the area and Snape realised the dementors were making that sound. 

No soul alive had ever witnessed those creatures showing any kind of emotion at all but he just had, they had showed immense anger and disappointment and Snape didn't like it. Looking up he saw Dumbledore and Remus peering down the chasm and it only took them a matter of seconds to lift Snape and Lierin from the chasm. The moment Snape felt solid ground beneath his feet, the hidden entrance closed up again and Dumbledore pointed at it and sealed it off with magic. 

"We must make sure this never happens again!" said Dumbledore in a very serious fashion and Snape couldn't agree more.

"Well, I think it's best if we take Professor Heartilly to the Hospital Wing. In the meantime you can tell me what happened down there. Or better yet, you can tell me everything from the beginning."

Snape and Dumbledore headed towards the Hospital Wing and Dumbledore noticed how Snape held Lierin protectively in his arms instead of using a floating spell. His arms were trembling, which probably meant he had been holding her for quite a while now, but the look in Severus' eyes stopped Dumbledore from suggesting a floating spell. 

"Well, if you want to hear things from the beginning I think you'd better start with Mr. Longbottom. He was with her when she crashed through the stairs."

"Yes, so he told me. I already know what happened from his point of view. Minerva also told me about the little 'incident' between you and Professor Heartilly. Care to explain?"

Snape's eyes grew darker.

"It was nothing. Nothing at all. I assure you."

Dumbledore was sure it wasn't just "nothing," the red marks on Severus cheek proved it, but he didn't ask further. Whatever had passed between the two of them, it was their concern, their problem to solve. 

"Very well. Tell me what happened down there."

"I went to the hall right after Mr. Longbottom had told me what happened. At first I thought he was pulling a prank on me but the serious look in his eyes bid me to go anyway. When I got there, nothing was out of order - absolutely nothing. 

It didn't take me long though to find the forbidden entrance and I went down. Headmaster, there were DEMENTORS down there! And they were after Lierin...Miss Heartilly!"

"You mean _Professor_ Heartilly."

"Yes. Her."

"Hmm yes, I figured those hooded figures were dementors."

Snape and Dumbledore entered the Hospital Wing and Madam Pomfrey had to stifle a cry when she saw the limp body of Lierin in Severus' arms. 

"Good heavens! What happened to Professor Heartilly?" 

She didn't wait for an answer however but she immediately prepared a bed for Lierin and she went to her little office to fetch her medkit. She returned shortly after and ever so carefully Severus laid Lierin in bed and was about to tuck her in when he saw the look of incredulity in Madam Pomfrey's eyes. The hard look in his eyes returned and he regained his usual composure so when Lierin's eyes fluttered open, it was the stoic Severus Snape who was standing at her bedside. 

"What in the world is HE doing here?" thought Lierin but she didn't get the time to wonder about his presence for Dumbledore noticed she had awakened.

"Ah, I do believe Professor Heartilly is with us again. Wonderful, wonderful!" said Dumbledore and he pulled up a chair to sit beside the bed.

"How do you feel? You took a nasty fall even with your incantation of protection." 

"I feel like I've been to Limbo and back," said Lierin. She felt that description came closest to her feelings. Dumbledore's sudden change of expression didn't go unnoticed. At first he had been concerned and caring but he changed to being very solemn and serious.

"I think in a way you have been," said Dumbledore and he exchanged a very peculiar look with Snape. 

"Severus told me you were chased by Dementors. Do you have any idea why?"

"Dementors?" asked Lierin, stunned and confused.

"Yes, Dementors girl! Nasty nightcrawlers who feed themselves on nothing less than the human soul. You do remember what those hooded creatures are, do you?" 

"Severus!" 

"Oh come on! She must have felt their presence when she fell through the floor! Their presence was clearly detectable! I felt their influence the moment I opened up the secret entrance! Surely Miss Heartilly must have felt SOMETHING!" Snape glared at Lierin, his old demeanour was back with a vengeance. For the time being he chose to forget the fact that even he hadn't understood the meaning of those sudden waves of coldness and nausea until he had seen those hooded creatures himself. 

"Well Severus, I really wouldn't know. You see, when I fell through the floor, my mind was engaged in more important matters than the hypothetical presence of Dementors, like protecting myself from falling to my premature death!" blazed Lierin fuming with anger. She hated it when he addressed to her as if she were still his student. She was a professor now; she was his equal!

"How can you be so sure it would have been your 'premature' death?" Severus dared to say, but an angry glare from the Headmaster made him swallow the rest of his spiteful words. 

"Lierin, can you tell us anything about what happened?"

"I'm not going to say another word in front of him!"

Dumbledore closed his eyes and sighed. He knew Severus was curious about what happened and he had seen his concern. It seemed as if the ghosts from their past wouldn't let them go, it was a pity those ghosts were standing in the way of friendship and maybe even...

"Severus, could you leave us alone please?"

Severus scowled at Lierin and for a short intense moment they locked eyes and did nothing to conceal their hatred for each other. Lierin felt a cold shiver running down her spine when Snape rushed out of the room treating her with one last evil glare, and she released her breath when his billowing robes vanished out of sight.


	7. The Goblet of Might

I changed a few things in this chapter. Not very much, but it reveals a bit more about what's really going on. I hope you all like the story so far.

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Chapter 7

Noticing the awkward silence, Lierin returned her attention to the Headmaster and she noticed he had been studying her. His scrutinizing look with his light blue almost transparent eyes made her feel highly uncomfortable and she had to push away the unpleasant thought that Dumbledore could see right through her. 

"There's really no need to be so hostile towards Severus..."

"There's no need for him to be hostile towards students either."

"I realise Severus' teaching methods are a little unorthodox but he's really a fine teacher."

"A little unorthodox? The man is completely unfit to teach! Have you ever noticed he takes delight in torturing his students? I should know. I've experienced his hatred for students first-hand. Or have you forgotten about my leg?"

"Nevertheless, there are other reasons why Severus is a teacher at Hogwarts; reasons which are really no concern of you at the moment." His voice didn't sound angry but there was a mild warning in it not to press the matter.

"Now do you care to explain why the Dementors were after you?"

Lierin shrugged her shoulders.

"I wish I could tell you but to be honest, I have no idea what that was all about. There is something else I should tell you though. You see, right before my "accident," I was on my way to see you after you had sent for me. There was something I needed you to know, anyway. I kind of tricked you into hiring me as a teacher here. And I'm not really a teacher; just a freelance adventurer who stumbled upon her next adventure. Beauxbatons never approached me to become a teacher. I just made it up so you would hire me."

"I know," said Dumbledore. 

Lierin had expected such a thing, but expecting it and hearing him say it were two entirely different things, she was baffled to say the least.

"You know? How-"

"Do you really think I would just hire you without verifying your letter first? I contacted Beauxbatons about it right after I received your letter."

"But if you knew, why did you hire me in the first place?" Lierin was dumbfounded. She knew Dumbledore often acted by his own mysterious reasons but what was the point in hiring someone when you knew this person was lying, thus deceitful and untrustworthy? The realisation Dumbledore might think of her as a lying and untrustworthy person was painful because Lierin always had the uttermost respect for the old headmaster, even in her bold years. Dumbledore shook his head in a sad manner, as if he knew what she was thinking.

"I witnessed you as a student at Hogwarts and I know fate hasn't been kind on you. I also know you always tried to live by the virtues of honesty, loyalty and justice. Even in your years of struggle and hardship, maybe even especially in those years, you kept living by those "rules." During your school years I got to know you quite well, so when I read your letter and discovered your little lie, I understood you had approached me with a special reason and I trusted, hoped, that in due time you'd tell me."

Lierin could feel a lump in her throat. She should have realised she couldn't fool Dumbledore. Sometimes she thought he knew her better than she did and he had understood her so well in the old days. But it wasn't the right time to dwell on the past so she pushed her wistful thoughts away and she began her story. 

"The past few years during my travels I had lot's of encounters with what muggles would call 'the supernatural.'" My interest, however, was drawn to the ancient relics and artefacts and my good friend Charlie helped me on my way. As you know, Charlie is now working with dragons in Romania and one unfortunate day he stumbled upon an ancient goblet stuffed away in a small store with antiquities. He sensed an oddity in the goblet and he inquired about it but he learned nothing about it. The goblet was virtually worthless because a gem was missing from it's setting. Charlie wrote me a letter about the goblet and how it had unsettled his nerves. After his letter I had my suspicions and I should have traveled to Romania immediately but I was so stupid to ask for a detailed description of the goblet first. 

By the time he received my letter, some muggle professor in history had identified the artefact as the goblet from which Nostradamus one evening had drunken poisoned wine and lived, so they put the infernal thing on display in a local museum. It was all over the muggle newspapers as well as our own."

The usual twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes was gone. He looked very serious and solemn instead.

"The Goblet of Might." stated Dumbledore.

__

Dear Merlin, so that's why she was here. He never would have guessed. He should have known something was wrong when he first noticed the clouds. But how could he have foreseen that this would happen so soon? So soon? Dear Merlin, Albus! You knew what was going to happen from the day that Voldemort got absolute power!

Lierin had stopped wondering about Dumbledore's wisdom and knowledge a long time ago so she didn't even look surprised when Dumbledore already seemed to know about the goblet.

"Exactly. Charlie promised me to keep me informed about the goblet."

__

"Crafted by the hands of lore

The nightfall's gain of long before 

Alloy the mighty cup and gem

Drink the spirits and feel it when

All your powers are multiplied by ten."

"I can see you did your homework but yes, that's the idea. The Goblet of Might, the dark ruby "Nightfall's gain" and the spirits in the riddle referring to the Potion of Spirits. All these items combined makes you ten times more powerful, ten times more intelligent and it makes you virtually immortal. I'm sure you can understand it's a very desirable object for Voldemort to have, it could restore, even multiply his powers."

"Yes, of course, but it doesn't explain why you are here."

Lierin looked at the headmaster thoughtfully. Why did she have the feeling it wouldn't matter if she explained. That he knew very well why she was here? "Well, it's kind of my own fault if someone from the wizarding community would recognise the goblet. It's a very old legend and I gave a very detailed description of what the goblet should look like."

"And how did you know what the goblet looks like if it's indeed such an old legend?"

"Because the description I used in my book came directly from an excerpt of Elrick Woodling's account of the dark ages. According to him, he had the Goblet of Might in his possession and he knew someone who could brew the Potion of Spirits, but he had no idea of the whereabouts of the dark ruby."

Lierin paused and wondered if it wasn't very foolish what she was about to do. She searched for eye contact with Dumbledore and she pulled out the heavy chain around her neck from under her tunic and dangling at the end of the chain was a large golden ring with a ruby so dark it could pass for a black onyx. 

"This ruby. It's been in my family for generations and I really have no idea about it's origin or how it came in our possession."

An odd expression darkened Dumbledore's face but before Lierin could determine what this expression could mean, it was gone.

"I see. What happened then?"

"A terrible accident. Elrick was attacked by a werewolf. Completely ripped apart. It was a freak accident even in those days. Elrick should have taken the warning more seriously."

"Now you're telling me something I didn't know. A warning? What kind of warning?"

"Actually it's more of a curse. You know those exotic wooden puppets and how they are believed to bring bad luck if you keep them apart? It's kind of the same thing. As long as the Goblet of Might and the dark ruby are apart, the goblet brings bad luck."

"Bad luck as in.....?"

"Bad luck as in, unite the goblet with Nightfall's gain as soon as possible or be destroyed."

"Your typical case of bad luck then. And how about the ruby?"

She closed her eyes and leaned back in the comfortable cushions. She was so very tired. She sighed deeply and hoped Dumbledore would notice her fatigue. 

"The ruby is neutral. It doesn't bring bad luck because the ruby can be used for good as well as evil. The 'good' being yet another goblet. Nobody knows it's origin or when it was made but it's supposed to be the counterpart of the Goblet of Might. If it's true, it destroys it's evil powers. Like the Goblet of Might, it needs Nightfall's gain to be activated but unlike the Goblet of Might, you need to drink the elixir of life from it and not the Potion of Spirits. Unfortunately that's about all I know of it."

Lierin recognised the look of understanding in his eyes that had been there all along.

"Ah, so that's why you are here. You are hoping to find the other goblet before Voldemort steals the Goblet of Might."

"Exactly. But that's not all. There's a book and it tells about the ruby and that it has been in my family for generations. For as far as I know it's the only book that mentions the use of the ruby and it's connection to the Goblet of Might, so I took the ruby here because at the moment this is the safest place for me to be with the Dementors protecting Hogwarts and all. Just in case someone might actually find a copy of that particular book and gets it into his head to chase me."

"Yes, yes. Mm, I take it from what you told me so far, you also came here to do more research about the other goblet?"

Lierin sighed with relief, glad he understood.

"Yes, you know very well Hogwart's houses the largest library there is to find in the wizarding community. If there's information about the other goblet at all, it should be here."

Dumbledore didn't reply, he was in one of his pensive moods and Lierin could tell he was very far away with his thoughts, so when he suddenly returned his attention to her (and he did it with so much intensity) again, it gave her a start.

"Has it occurred to you those Dementors you encountered down there might have something to do with Voldemort having discovered the hiding place of the ruby and wanting it in his possession?"

If it weren't for the fact Lierin was already sitting, she would have dropped to the floor in shock. Of course she knew Voldemort would want to get the ruby, but she had counted on the fact that he would steal the goblet first because the whereabouts of the ruby had always been a mystery because there was only one filed book that mentioned it. To find a copy of that book would be sheer dumb luck. Even she, Lierin, had stumbled on it by accident, years before she knew about the existence of the Goblet of Might. Finding it was the direct reason she started a research about her ruby and thus she had learned about the Goblet of Might, and that was long before Charlie found it in the antiquities shop. Yes, she had considered the fact someone might actually find that one book, it was one of the reasons she was here, but she had thought that possibility to be so unlikely that she never really gave it much thought. Now she realised how careless she'd been and the first thought that popped into her mind was a very selfish one.

"I'm in danger aren't I?"

"I think so, yes."

"But why the Dementors? What do they have to gain with this?"

"Dementors are strange creatures Lierin. They only guard the prisoners in Azkaban because it means they can feast upon human emotions. It's also the only reason why they are after Black, the escaped criminal. They never really were on our side. They don't choose any other side but there own. Perhaps they struck a deal with Voldemort."

Lierin sighed again.

"Well, we must stop them at all cost. We _must_ find the other goblet before it's too late." 

"Is there something else you haven't told me yet, Lierin? You seem kind of anxious in getting that goblet. I understand Voldemort would get his power back by getting that goblet and of course, that's terrible. But, we have defeated him once. I'm sure we could do it again." 

"With all due respect Headmaster, but I don't think so. Look, I've been really foolish. I was over confident and thought no one would succeed in finding and activating the goblet. I got cocky and I put too much confidence in my own knowledge and powers and believed it would be a piece of cake to find the other goblet and destroy the Goblet of Might. Not once did I consider the fact it could be dangerous. Remus was the first one to point that out to me and now it turns out it's a far more dangerous situation than I first anticipated. You see, the Goblet of Might does not only multiply ones physical powers, the Potion of Spirits in it also intensifies ones strongest emotions and it keeps one in a permanent state of that emotion. Can you imagine the terrible things that would happen if Voldemort would get the goblet in his possession? What would happen if his hatred for muggles, his lust for world domination and his thirst for power were multiplied by ten? Voldemort would create havoc in our community as well as in the muggle community and we are already vulnerable as we are. There's too much division and Voldemort would love to spread us even further apart. To be honest, I don't think we would survive if Voldemort would get that powerful. Look at the last time he was in control. We barley kept ourselves standing that time and if it hadn't been for young Harry......Well, I'm sure you get the idea."

Again that strange expression spread across Dumbledore's face and for one awkward split-second Lierin was convinced the odd expression was a look of knowledge, as if Dumbledore knew something she didn't. Involuntary Lierin shivered as the thought crossed her mind that something was going on she had no comprehension of. It was as if she was merely seeing the tip of an iceberg knowing beneath the waterline disaster was waiting; or, as if a snowball was heading her way fast while growing larger and larger and larger. So at the moment Hogwarts had three problems. Firstly, an escaped convict who believed that by killing Harry Potter he would bring back the Dark Lord. Secondly, Dementors conspiring against the entire wizarding community by supporting the Dark Lord. Thirdly, Voldemort, the Dark Lord himself who wanted to be the most powerful wizard and who took advantage of the dementors' lust for human souls to reach his goal. 

"I've heard about the Potion of Spirits. Awful potion. I've heard Voldemort used it on traitors. First he'd scare the living daylights out of them and then he'd give them the potion. I've heard at least ten former Death Eaters literally died out of fear. Yes, even his most loyal servants were not safe for his cruelty. That reminds me, I must have a little talk with Severus. You rest now dear." 

"Thank you professor… You know, it doesn't make sense. The dementors are here to guard the school against Black, the escaped criminal, but if they were really after the dark ruby, that means they work for Voldemort, just like Black does. I'm sorry, I just can't fit those pieces together."

"Maybe it's just a diversion. Maybe Black and the dementors work together to get the ruby. Maybe he's here to kill Mr Potter because he believes it'll bring Voldemort back. Or maybe all is not as it seems."

Lierin looked puzzled at Dumbledore who stood up to leave the hospital wing.

"Either way, the future holds a few challenges in store."

"Professor, I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell Remus about the attack. It would only make him worried and since no one knows I grew up with him, it would only seem odd."

The headmaster smiled sadly. "What happened between you and the Dementors is a secret, so I think by now the entire school knows." 

"Right. Look, I know at the time we kept it a secret that his parents had taken me in after my parents died, so if anyone found out about Remus' illness, I could still lead a normal life. But I couldn't care less if someone would find out. Still, I don't really feel up to all the questions I'd have to answer if we'd tell everybody about my relation to Remus now. If Remus shows any kind of 'abnormal' concern and people start to ask questions, I'll be honest and tell them the truth. Until then, I'd prefer if we kept it silent for the moment."

"A wise decision. Now, about our earlier conversation, the reason why I said you shouldn't be so hostile towards Severus....."

Lierin interrupted him, Dumbledore was right, Severus was her colleague now so she shouldn't let him get to her so easy. "You don't need to tell me headmaster, you were right, there's no reason not to be polite."

"Severus is not all who he seems, Lierin. I know he seems stoic, distant and cold to you but he might very well have saved your life just a while ago. From what Severus told me, they were about to give you the "Dementor's kiss". So you should be grateful."

With those words still in the air, Dumbledore finally did leave the room, leaving Lierin alone with her thoughts.

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Silently, Dumbledore walked in the direction of the dungeons. So, this was it, the final phase, the point of no return. And to make it more exciting, she knew nothing of the clouds. She simply didn't know they were there. But that was the point of the clouds wasn't it? To give people a second chance to make better decisions, and the decision Lierin had made was the worst of all. He was still puzzled, there were still so many questions left in his mind. Yes, there was still time. It wasn't too late yet. But he sensed she was already going in the wrong direction, she was on the road to destruction. Her motives were still noble, she was trying to find a fabled counterpart to defeat Voldemort. Just like she had back then, outside the barrier of the clouds. Well, not exactly. From what he understood out of the ancient pensieve, _they_ had wanted to drink from the Goblet of Might to become stronger and defeat Voldemort, but they hadn't been able to find the _real_ Goblet of Might, so they created one themselves. 

A goblet without the jinx and the requirement of the Potion of Spirits. So far so good. But something had happened. Something that had to do with the four keys who had been present _outside_ the barrier of the clouds as well as here, _inside_ the barrier of the clouds. Four persons who were nothing but a memory outside the barrier and who had no idea of their awaiting fate inside the barrier. The key person, of course, was Lierin. But how was it possible that she was now searching for the counterpart instead of trying to retrieve the Goblet of Might, which she couldn't find back then, outside the barrier? Wasn't it more logical that she would follow the exact same path as she had back then? Or maybe he had underestimated the scheme of the others. Maybe they had already taken care of everything. But Dumbledore knew he still had to keep his eyes peeled. So, now he had to find the other three keys. He had his suspicions about at least two other keys, but he wasn't sure yet. 

It was still too early. In the meantime, he would try to steer Lierin away from this path, without revealing more than was allowed. Maybe he could guide his protégée to a better path, if he could just figure out what Lierin was thinking when she handed the goblet over to Voldemort; when she ended the world as she knew it.


	8. Restless Remains

A chapter in which Snape reflects on a meeting with Dumbledore and a little insight about his true feelings for Lierin. To bad that love is hell when jealousy comes into play. Let me know what you think. Please r & r. I'm always open for suggestions, but only for suggestions that can improve the story J 

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Chapter 8

The dungeon was dark and cold as always, but somehow Severus Snape found the dungeon to be comforting. It fitted his nature, his character. Darkness. Severus shivered and pulled his black robe closer around him for more comfort. He could do well without the cold though, he thought to himself. He was standing in front of the fire place and he stared into the flames which seemed to burn on their own without any wood or coals to fuel the fire. His mind drifted away to Dumbledore's last visit. Again Dumbledore had surprised him by his strange behavior. He started to pace around in front of the fire, it's dancing flames creating eerie, tall shadows on the dungeon walls.

Something was going on! Snape stopped in his track. 

Dumbledore had never shown such interest in his time as a Death Eater before! He started to pace around again. Why this sudden interest? He briskly stopped in his tracks again. Why the sudden interest in the Potion of Spirits? Of all the million potions one could brew, why this sudden interest in that awful potion? Again, Snape stared into the flames. Why, why, why, why, why? He kept repeating it to himself until the point he was almost chanting it without understanding what he was saying. He closed his eyes and let the last "why" linger on his lips. With his eyes closed Snape allowed himself to relax his otherwise stern features into a heavenly state of sullen blankness. Why? 

Tired of pacing and standing, pacing and standing, Snape walked over to a high-backed armchair near the fireplace, lowered himself onto it and, again, he started to stare into the flames. This time however, they seemed to succeed in calming his troubled nerves. 

The Potion of Spirits, how many times had Voldemort used it on him? A pained sigh escaped from his lips. He knew the answer to his own question very well, so many times he had lost track. One night, when Voldemort noticed the potion didn't have much affect on his trusted servant, he stopped using it on him altogether. If Voldemort had known how much Severus had really suffered from it, he never would have quit using it on him. No matter how loyal his servants, he loved to remind them who was in charge, who had the power. He now took his pleasure in one of the Forbidden curses; the Crucacius spell. Severus preferred the Crucacius spell above the Potion of Spirits anytime. Crucacius only brought you temporary pain. Unbearable pain yes, but Snape had learned to steel himself from physical pain at a young age. Still, the spell hurt tremendously but he'd rather experience physical pain than the mental torture at night. He already had had his fair share of that, he needn't have more. He could do very well without more ghosts plaguing his mind at night, he could do very well without them indeed. 

The Potion of Spirits, it intensified your strongest emotion to horrifying heights and it raised your spirit but not in the good sense of the word. Even happiness was overshadowed by the dark side of the potion. Not that happiness was a frequent emotion found amongst the Death Eaters. Anger, bitterness, fear, thirst for power, envy, arrogance, cruelty: Those were the normal Death Eater's emotions. For Severus it had been those emotions as well as bitterness and loneliness, those were the feelings that haunted him at night. They always haunted him at night, but, after drinking the Potion of Spirits it became almost unbearable. 

In daytime, after a night full of remorse, agony and suffering, he showed no mercy for his students and he tortured them like he had been tortured. It was really the only way of release he could find, the only way he could keep himself from going mad. In the end, a smoldering feeling of hate and disgust remained. Feelings he understood and which he harboured, yes, which he nurtured in his heart to remind himself who he was, what he was, what he had been and where he was standing in the world. He didn't care whether his colleagues understood him or not. The only worries they had were the lessons they had to prepare for the next day and how many house points they should award or deduct. After a days work, they could go to bed without any troubles. While he, Severus Snape, still pretended to be a servant of the Dark Lord, and had more worries than just his students and his stupid lessons. A sigh escaped from his lips again and the blankness on his face was gone, now there was utter fatigue engraved in his features and he felt so very tired...and lonely. 

Let Dumbledore play his silly games, he thought to himself, but please, just leave me alone. Snape's shadow appeared on the walls as he hoisted himself to his feet. He allowed his feet to carry him wherever they wanted him to go - probably to the halls where he could deduct house points and give detention to unfortunate students. That way he could forget about his own problems, if just for a little while.

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Lierin knew she should thank Severus for saving her life. She was sitting in one of the hospital beds and one week of rest after the accident and Madam Pomefrey's good care had healed a few broken bones and a few bumps and bruises. Slowly, she was sipping one of Severus' steaming-hot brews. It tasted awful and Lierin grimaced every time the bitter taste harassed her senses. She couldn't help suspecting him of making his potions extra vile for her. Soft footsteps pulled her away from her thoughts and when she looked up she saw Remus pulling up a chair next to her bed. From the moment he had learned she was attacked by Dementors, he had spent every minute he could spare with her. At first she had been bad company because the healing process required rest and sleep but later on she was able to have small conversations with him. This evening she had been waiting for him. Before Remus sat down he moved towards her and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. When he sat down there was a warm look in his hazel brown eyes and a tender smile curved his lips. 

"Good evening, I can see you are doing much better. Sorry I couldn't be here last night but I was so busy preparing this day's classes..."

Lierin had to laugh when she saw the apologetic look in his eyes.

"Oh come on Remus, did you really think I expected you to be here all the time? Of course, you have to prepare for classes!"

Remus smiled and stretched his long muscled legs. Even in his human shape he had predator like features and though he never showed it, Lierin knew he was keeping an eye...and an ear on things. However, it were times like these he reminded her most of a big fat lazy cat that just had a big fat bird for a meal. 

"Yes, but I noticed it takes me a lot longer without your much valued assistance."

"Hmm, flattery will get you no where. So, anything in particular going on?"

"No, not really. Have you finished reading all those books yet?" asked Remus while nodding to a small pile of books. 

Lierin rolled her eyes.

"Don't even start. I've read every single one of those books but I can't find anything useful about the goblets."

Curious, Remus got up from the chair and he nosed through the pile of books.

"_Woodling's Account of the Dark Ages, Elfgard's Journey Through the Mystical Heights of Shambala,_ _The Tales of Long Ago_ by L.P. Wolfmore, _Legendary Objects: Truth or Delusion?_ by Lumarc. Interesting choice of books but did you really expect to find something useful in these?" asked Remus while he raised an eyebrow at the dirty and crumpled version of _Elfgard's Journey Through the Mystical Heights of Shambala._

"No not really," sighed Lierin, "_Woodling's Account of the Dark Ages_ is the only somewhat trustworthy book. All the others are full of mistakes and contradictions. The book about legendary objects is all right I guess, but nothing's in it I didn't already know."

"Hmm," said Remus who was still leafing through the books. "Say, what's this?" Remus picked up a fairly small leather-bound book, which from the looks of it was at least a hundred years old. Remus searched for a title on the cover but when he found none he opened up the book. 

"_Rowena Ravenclaw's Diary_? How did you...." Remus' words were cut short when a sudden gust of wind threatened to mess up the pages and Remus was barely able to close the book without completely ruining it, though he couldn't prevent one of the pages escaping the book. Lierin glared around to see who had caused the sudden draft and she narrowed her eyes when she saw the pest.

"Peeves! I wondered when I'd be seeing you again."

A high cackling laughter filled the air and Peeves swirled through the air towards them ripping the single page apart.

"I am Peeves and you better look out! Better hide or run away and shout!" sang Peeves. 

"Peeves!" called Remus, with a mild warning tone in his voice when Peeves tried to mess with the books again. 

"What? Is this annoying to you? What about this?" 

Peeves flung three books towards Remus but his amazing predatory skills made it very easy for him to snatch the books out of the air. For a moment Peeves could only stare at Remus with a dumb expression on his face and swearing he left the room, vanishing through one of the walls. One half of the loose page swirled through the air like a feather in the wind and neither Remus nor Lierin noticed it. Lierin smiled at Remus. She bet even Peeves didn't know Remus was a werewolf. Only a few people were familiar with that fact and she was sure Peeves wasn't one of them. Remus said nothing, he just looked at the wall through which Peeves had disappeared with a look of irritation on his otherwise quite attractive face. 

A sigh escaped his lips and he bent to pick up the page from the book. He looked quite disappointed when he noticed half of it was missing. When he sat down he gently threw Rowena's dairy in Lierin's lap and he started to read the loose page. 

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Severus Snape briskly walked through the dimly lit hallways and the surroundings gave him a false feeling of peace. He had no idea where he was going but he hoped he would catch some rule-breaking students. Upon that wish he caught a fifth year Hufflepuff girl in an sneaky yet intimate embrace with a sixth year Ravenclaw boy. 

"Thirty points from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw for littering the hallways," said Snape curtly while quickly passing the two students who released each other upon hearing his voice. With a startled as well as an angry look they watched him stalking down the corridor with his huge probably oversized robes swaying behind him. Snape walked on with a sturdy pace and to his sardonic glee he saw the Granger girl accompanied by Weasly boy and he who's name he didn't even want to think about, loaded with a LOT of books from the library. 

"Twenty points from Gryffindor for carrying more books from the library than allowed."

Astonished and with a look of hatred, Harry, Ron and Hermione watched Snape moving on.

"Can you believe that slimy git?" asked Ron, "While these books are for HIS stupid assignment! He probably made that one up just now, just to able to deduct points!" 

"Another thirty points from Gryffindor for insulting a teacher and detention tomorrow after classes at seven o'clock," came the bellowing voice from Snape from past a curve in the corridor. Ron gritted his teeth and Harry sniggered.

"That goes for you too, Potter!" 

Harry stopped sniggering and Neville rushed past the trio in fear he might loose some house points as well. A condescending smile curved Snape's lips as he had been able to deduct a total of ninety house points from various houses. With every point he deducted, he could feel his spirit lifting. And when he realised he was near the hospital wing, he felt gracious enough to pay Heartilly a visit and ask if she needed more of his - somewhat altered - painrelieving potion. He hadn't heard her complain about the awful smell and taste yet, he thought with a smirk, while he had put fungulus rat livers in it! Yet, when he touched the doorknob he experienced a brief moment of guilt when he thought back to how helplessly she had laid in his arms when they were under attack of the Dementors. His mind drifted away as he remembered more of her and he couldn't help but notice his heart had started to beat a tad bit faster in anticipation of seeing her again. He closed his eyes and for a short moment he allowed himself to think of her, not aware of the fact his lips started to curve in a small but genuine smile. A small smile which faded away immediately upon hearing the voices in the hospital wing. He noticed his hand had already turned the doorknob, his mind in great impatience to see Lierin. The door was open just a little but it was enough to clearly hear the voices, and enough to notice _he_ hadn't been noticed yet.

"Oh darling, patiently I'm awaiting the day I'm released from blame. I can bear it no longer, I must be freed from shame."

Snape grew even paler than usual upon hearing those words. Remus Lupin, a shabby old werewolf was declaring his love to Lierin! He was telling her poetry! Snape clenched his hands together in fists, unaware of the fact he started to tremble. What he really wanted to do now was to turn away but he forced his foolish heart to listen.

"Oh darling, remember the summer nights and how we were merged in one. Remember, my sweet and let once again our hearts come together. Please let my undying love be your token. Never, no never again shall your heart be broken!" 

Snape could barely withhold a roar of anger and the stupidity about this entire situation was. He couldn't grasp the reason why in the world Remus' tender and heartfelt words annoyed him so. What he did know, was he'd surely explode if he'd listen to this nonsense any longer. Fine, if they wanted to have a relationship, fine, but Snape would not, he would definitely not allow them to confront him with their sickening display of mushy behavior. They could take their lovemaking to their private chambers if they must, but he'd be damned to be confronted with it at any given moment. Irrationally convinced by his own rightness, Snape flung open the door and barged in on a very startled Lierin and Remus as they noticed they were caught. Guilt was written all over their faces and Snape knew enough. A deadly silence fell in the room as Snape watched the two people with his piercing eyes, looking like he was ready to kill.


	9. The Agony of Poetry

Snape is so adorable when he's jealous. Really, he is. Not convinced? Read the next chapter to convince yourself. Again, please r & r. Suggestions, Flattery, Flames, doesn't matter as long as I get those reviews J 

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Chapter 9

A few moments before Snape barged in.

Lierin opened the dairy and furrowed her eyebrows when she remembered she had never taken it from the library. She leafed through the book without really reading the pages. It really was kind of a dumb story about a beast, a grim, something about suns and moons and whatnot. She stopped reading altogether when she noticed Remus' pensive mood.

"Remus? Is something wrong?" asked Lierin and she looked puzzled at the note he was holding in his hands when she remembered it was a loose page from the dairy. 

"No, I don't think so. Do you have any idea what this could mean? Here, have a look." Remus handed Lierin the note. There were only a few words written on it and when Lierin took a closer look, she noticed it was part of what was once a short poem, written by four different hands. She read the poem with furrowed eyebrows and the puzzled look reappeared in her eyes. Then she started to laugh and she read out loud:

.................... released from blame

..................... freed from shame

...................... merged in one

..................... ...... come together

.......................... token

........................... broken

"Sounds like a students poem to me. Maybe he or she thought it was worthless and tore it apart."

"No, it happened when Peeves came in, I can't find the other half though. I'd like to know what was on the other half."

"Why Remus, I didn't know you were interested in your students' poems. Hoping one of them might be addressed to you?"

Remus chuckled and waved that assumption away.

"Of course not you little romantic fool. By the way, these are not words a student would use in a love poem."

"Oh, and why not? Maybe it's from a student who cheated on his girlfriend and is now trying to make it up to her. Or maybe she thinks he cheated on her and it's really not true and he's trying to convince her otherwise."

Remus looked at the remnants of the poem.

"It could be a possibility."

Suddenly a twinkle appeared in his eye and he waved the foreboding feeling away as paranoia. He dropped to his knees and solemnly he grabbed Lierin's hand.

"Oh darling, patiently I'm awaiting the day I'm released from blame. I can't bear it no longer, I must be freed from shame. Oh darling, remember the summer nights and how we were merged in one. Remember, my sweet and let once again our hearts come together. Please let my undying love be your token. Never, no never again shall your heart be broken!" 

Lierin could feel a chuckle coming up and looking at Remus she knew he was about the laugh as well but before they could make a sound the door flew open again and in came Snape with billowing robes and a particularly sour look on his face. For once his eyes were wide open and they only seemed to accentuate his heartless soul. His already thin lips were pursed into an even thinner line and his nostrils were quivering like those of a nervous horse. The smiles died on their lips as Remus and Lierin shot a worried look at each other. 

For some reason, Snape was beside himself with anger. Not that it was unusual for Snape to be angry about something, but this time he exceeded himself. 

"My, my, my. The lovebirds have confessed their love to one another!" said Snape with a voice full of venom. Bright spots were flashing in front of his eyes and he opened his mouth again to make a snide remark but he couldn't. His hands were clenched to fists and he breathed heavily. He knew he was making a spectacle of himself, nothing was going on but an irrational anger had taken control of him and there was nothing he could do to preserve his reputation as the cold and reserved Potions Master. He was beside himself.

"Disgusting! I really thought you to be wiser than making bed with a wolf! Don't think I'll sit back and do nothing when you confront me with your unwanted display of misplaced affections. I'm going to take this to the Headmaster! Such immature behavior in the hospital wing!"

When Snape finally made eye contact with Lierin, he found out by this time he wasn't the only one who was angry. He had offended Lierin by calling her lover a wolf. Did she know he was a werewolf? If she did, this proved she did care for the wolf and a sharp pain of regret cut through him like a knife. A feeling he ignored and which he pretended to never have felt. 

"Watch it Severus! What is it to you anyway? Why do you care whether Remus and I are together or not! You, the one and only person who's _not _interested in love and affection and probably the only one who'd never be able to receive that kind of love anyway. Don't tell me you've changed your mind. Don't tell me you're jealous!"

"Jealous? Of that dirty old wolf? Spare me! I'm not interested in your affection or anything from you whatsoever. It's disgusting and disgraceful and I'd never lower myself in such a way to distastefully ..."

"Severus, would you please calm down?" tried Remus, "This isn't what it looks like..."

"Hold your tongue, wolf! I think this is exactly what it looks like! And I'm going to take this to Dumbledore!"

This time Remus got angry as well. Normally the long-suffering Remus wasn't the person to jump into a fight, but he had his limits and Snape had just exceeded one. 

"Well, well, well. What a surprise. You always were like that, always snooping around, putting your abnormally long nose in affairs that didn't concern you, always trying to find something against us that could get us expelled. Yes, you're still the greasy, jealous git you always have been. You always were jealous of James, Peter, me and.... and....."

Again Snape saw an opportunity to prove Remus' disloyalty. 

"Why don't you say it Remus? Why don't you say his name? Or are you afraid your girlfriend might find out about your friendship with a convicted murderer and she might reject you? Why don't you be a _man_ for once Remus and tell her you've been friends with _Sirius_ _Black_!"

"You know very well Sirius wasn't always like that! Besides, our friendship ended when he betrayed Lily and James!"

"That's what you say, Remus! I warned Dumbledore about hiring you as the new teacher of Defence against the Dark Arts! I never trusted you and if Sirius does manage to get here, I'll know where to put the blame!"

"Oh do shut up Severus! Remus would never betray Dumbledore and you know it! You are just jealous of Remus because he got the job you wanted. Does it hurt badly? Knowing Dumbledore would choose a werewolf over you to fill the job? I bet it does and that's why you hate him so much!"

"I don't hate anybody for such a pathetic reason. If you want to know why I hate him so much, why don't you ask him? He knows all about it, how he and Sirius pulled a prank on me what nearly cost me my life if James Potter hadn't saved my life. Unfortunately so, I might add, for James was the worst one of all!"

"Severus I don't hate you, I never did. But you didn't make it easy for us _not_ to hate you! I'm sorry for what I just said, I shouldn't have said those things. Look, we are all adults here, let's put this to a rest or else talk about it like civil people."

Snape looked at Remus who was obviously trying to soothe him and Lierin who was still seething with anger. Lierin, who used to be his student, whom he'd hated throughout her entire school career. Lierin who used to call him 'Professor Snape' because he was her teacher. Lierin whom he used to give detention when she had crossed the line again. Lierin who was now standing in front of him as his colleague so it was impossible for him to give her detention or deduct house points. Even though that was exactly what he wanted to do right now. So, Lierin was in love with a werewolf. Well, he knew just what to say to make her realise what she had got herself into. He forced himself to calm down. There was still a lot they needed to learn about Severus Snape and cruelty... and he was about to prove it. You didn't just get away with messing around with Snape without getting punished.

"How can we talk about this as civil people, when one of us is not even human!" said Snape brusquely before he turned around to leave the two lovers alone. 

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"He declared her his love you say?" asked Dumbledore, clearly confused about Snape's accusations. Snape had kept his word and the next day, Saturday, he'd run straight off to tell Dumbledore.

"Yes Professor, in a most distasteful way by reminding her of a certain erotic summer night. What if students had been in the hospital wing? I myself find such behavior quite repulsive and immature, don't you agree Professor?" asked Snape, obviously hoping Remus and Lierin would get fired for this.

"Are you sure he declared her his love?" asked Dumbledore again. 

Snape rolled his eyes and sighed quite aggravated.

"_Yes_ Professor. He was reciting her poetry. It was -ehr- something about how someone blamed him and how he wanted to free himself from the shame, then came the part about those hot summer nights and how she should see his undying love as a token he'd never break her heart or something like that."

Dumbledore grew a little pale as he started to suspect something. Something he truly wished he'd be wrong about.

"He said that in those exact words?"

"Er - no, not exactly. But is that really important? They were in the hospital wing crawling all over each other!"

"Could you tell me the exact words Professor Lupin used in his poem, Severus?"

Snape went crimson red and he started to stutter in exasperation. He felt insulted the headmaster didn't seem to believe him, or worse, the headmaster didn't seem to find his words of any importance!

"Professor Dumbledore! Really! Do you think I'd want to remember a distasteful piece of poetry like that? What is it about that poem anyway? What does it matter how Remus said it? He said it, period!"

"Calm down Severus, calm down Severus, I'm not saying you're lying, I just want to know what Remus said. Just trust me when I say it's important to me."

"But shouldn't you reprimand them at least for..."

"Severus, please don't take this the wrong way, but what you saw might not have been entirely what you thought it to be. Now...the poem?"

Snape gritted his teeth. He felt terribly disappointed now that Remus and Lierin wouldn't get fired and he was humiliated to the bone now that Dumbledore wanted him to repeat that vulgar piece of poetry. Actually, he knew quite well there was nothing vulgar about it. But for some reason he was so very angry, he just didn't want to admit he was overreacting. 

"Very well... Darling, patiently I'm awaiting the day I'm released from blame. I can bear it no longer, I must be freed from shame... This is ludicrous! "

"Go on, Severus," said Dumbledore, urging Severus to continue.

"Can't I just skip the next part?"

"No. Continue, if you please."

"Darlingrememberthesummernightsandhowweweremergedinone..."

"Severus, could you slow down just a little bit? I'm afraid I lost track."

"...Remember, my sweet and let once again our hearts come together. Please let my undying love be your token. Never, no never again shall your heart be broken!" Snape practically yelled the last few lines and he hoped Dumbledore would be satisfied. 

But Dumbledore said nothing, he just stared at Severus for a long time as if he'd never seen his protégé before and Snape felt quite uncomfortable under that scrutinizing look of his. 

"Is anything wrong, Professor Dumbledore?" asked Snape.

"No, no. Nothing's wrong with me, thank you Severus... How are you and Professors Heartilly and Lupin getting along Severus? Tell me about them, if you please."

Snape watched the headmaster in shock. Had he gone mad?

"Well, what's there to tell? Obviously, Professor Lupin can't be trusted and Professor Heartilly, well... she's... She's just the same as always I guess - rash, bold, insolent - not quite fit to be a teacher."

"Really? I do believe she told me the same about you." said Dumbledore with a mild twinkle in his eyes.

"Really, did she now?" said Snape astonished at such impudence, "Well, if you must know how we are getting along, Professor Dumbledore, _Professor_ Lupin tried to _kill_ me in our school years and _Professor_ Heartilly tried to _boil_ me in _her_ school days! Nothing has changed. They are still the same violent creatures and I think they both can't be trusted!"

An irrational anger spread it's poisonous tentacles inside Snape's heart and it poisoned him more and more with every word he said. Snape's face was twisted with anger and his anger was coursing in one direction. Remus Lupin! Snape couldn't explain this sudden burst of hateful feelings. And at the present time he didn't care. He didn't know why he hated Remus so much, even his hate for James Potter was nothing compared to this. He only knew he hated him because he was Remus. He was supposed to hate him. Remus had taken something away from him. He had kept someone from ... At that point his mind drew blank, so he stopped thinking but he kept hating. It was a hatred that was threatening to consume him but he didn't even notice. He didn't notice his face was distorted in a grim mask of anger. He didn't know he was making a caricature of himself. A stereotype dreadful looking, bullying teacher often drawn in muggle comics as ugly creatures with one leg already in their grave. Usually, his unattractive features where balanced with his regal, straight-backed appearance and his air of aloof self-control. At the moment, he possessed neither of those qualities. Dumbledore watched him with his characteristic blue, piercing eyes as his growing suspicions were gradually confirmed.

"I think I know enough. You can go now. Have a good day Severus." 

With those words Dumbledore turned around to pet Fawkes, his pet phoenix, silently indicating to Snape the meeting was over. Snape shot him an angry glare but he brusquely turned around, causing his robes to flow around his ankles and he left Dumbledore's study.

He took off in a heavy pace and went in the direction of the hospital wing to return to his dungeons which lay a few corridors behind Madam Pomfrey's quarters. Lierin had just exited the hospital wing when Snape arrived. They stared each other in the eye. Lierin knowing he had gone to see Dumbledore and Snape knowing Lierin knew about it. With one of his best cold glares he examined her body from head to toe, snorted indignantly and left her standing. Lierin watched him disappear and she wished James hadn't saved him from Remus all those years ago. He deserved it to be eaten by a werewolf, the ugly little git.

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In the meantime, Dumbledore was sitting in his study, absentmindedly petting Fawkes until the proud bird flew away to sit on it's perch and feeling rather insulted it turned it's head away from Dumbledore. He sighed deeply and apologized to the bird.

"I'm sorry Fawkes. I didn't mean to neglect you so. I'm just thinking about how to correct my mistake. Unfortunately, Lierin wasn't able to read the entire poem. All might have been clear to her but now she must find her own way. There's nothing I can do anymore. Oh, how I'd hoped this would work. How I'd hoped she'd understand. Alas, no such luck. Well, I must try and find out whether she read Rowena's diary or not. Maybe, with a little nudge in the right direction she'll go try and find out on her own. I do hope she read that diary or I must make sure she receives it again. Oh, If I could just tell her what's going on."

Dumbledore sighed deeply and wearily and he stared out of his window from behind his desk. The sun was shining brightly. It really was a beautiful day. If it weren't for the clouds at the rim of the horizon, all was perfect. But the clouds moved closer. Was he really the only one who could see them? He sighed. Oh yes, he knew those clouds very well with their eerie green and purple swirls of mist. The clouds of past, present and future. Clouds; the only barrier between their world and a world in which they were nothing more but a fading memory. He could see them, he could see the clouds getting closer and that meant they were slowly running out of time. And the attack of the Dementors, not the Dementors guarding Hogwarts against Black - this world's Dementors, but the Dementors from past the barrier. They were here and that meant that the Voldemort outside the barrier had found out about the high magic spell. Now that he knew, he'd try anything to prevent the four keys from altering his world and this world's future.

But there was still hope. He had found two other keys, or so he hoped. No, not hoped, he knew he'd found them. The emotions between them were too strong. Like it was, like it would be, like it used to be. Lierin Heartilly, Remus Lupin and Severus Snape. They were three of the four keys. He was sure of it. But who was the fourth?


	10. A Sense of Deja Vu

In this chapter Lierin and Remus finally get the feeling that something is way of. Something more than just the fact that Voldemort is after the Goblet of Might. But what exactly is going on and how much time do they have left to figure things out? You know the drill, please r & r.

Chapter 10

Earlier that Saturday, Madam Pomfrey looked around the corner and found Professor Heartilly sound asleep. She sighed with relief and entered the large hospital room with a bucket of hot, fresh smelling water and a mop. After casting a spell on both items, the mop started to clean the floor and the bucket followed the mop around. Madam Pomfrey had never allowed Mr. Filch, the caretaker of Hogwarts, to clean the hospital room for in her opinion he lacked a certain awareness of hygiene. And then that awful cat of his, called Mrs. Norris, a horrible creature and most likely carrier of all sorts off parasites which would only spread nasty diseases in her strictly run hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey kept a close eye on the mop and bucket for even enchanted items might miss a spot. She inspected the room and once and a while she ordered the mop to clean a certain part of the floor again. Suddenly Madam Pomfrey spotted a crumpled piece of paper in a far corner of the room. Curious about what it could be, Madam Pomfrey rushed over the piece of paper, expecting it to be something important one of the students might have lost. However, to her great disappointment, it appeared to be a poem. Or half a poem to be exact, and a poor one for that matter. 

It said: 

When the beast is .................... 

When the grim is ....................

When sun and moon are .................... 

When she and the severe one .....................

This shall be your .................... 

The power of the other shall be ....................

Failing to see the sense in such a useless poem, Madam Pomfrey crumpled the piece together again and threw it in one of the trashcans near one of the hospital beds where it lay waiting for one of the house elves to collect it for the trash. Now, house elves did most of the work in the enormous gothic castle. It really was too much work for Mr. Filch to do it on his own. They did the laundry, they did the cooking, they cleaned the dorms and everything else that they didn't have time to do, Filch did. House elves only worked at nighttime when everybody else was fast asleep. This was because they weren't allowed to bother students or teachers. This they didn't mind, they found it rather pleasant and made a sport of cleaning the rooms without getting noticed. It might be clear, whenever a student thought he or she had 'misplaced' something, most of the time this was the work of a not so careful and probably a young house elf. So, on that particular night, the night from Saturday to Sunday, one house elf came out of the large hospital wing after having collected the trash, and one house elf came from the dungeons after having cleaned up quite a gooey looking substance from the floor. A small twist of faith caused the two youthful house elves to collide with each other and the trash got scattered all over the hallway. Proper house elves would at least bang their heads against the walls, but as young as the house elves were (only one hundred and fifty years old) they only started to giggle. And as quickly as they could, they started to clean up the mess without paying too much attention to a few small remains. One of those remains was a poor little crumpled piece of parchment with half a poem written on it.

The morning came swiftly and to the likes of some students it came way too soon. The earliest students groggily walked to the Great Hall for breakfast, not paying attention to the small piece of parchment dancing between their feet as they stumbled on their way. The small piece of paper got kicked around in different directions and was only left alone for a short time during breakfast. After breakfast, students scattered from the Great Hall to spend time with friends, hang out and do all sorts of things as long as it wasn't related to homework. There was plenty of time to think about homework in the evening. So, the small piece of paper was lost in the crowd. Once going this way, then going the other way. It really was a great journey for such a small piece of paper. 

Soon, most students had found their destination, where they wanted to spend the rest of their day off and the hallways were desolate once more and the only sounds that could be heard were the distant footsteps of two people walking through the hallways. The small piece of paper just happened to lie near the office of Professor Heartilly and one of the two people approaching was she, the other person was Professor Lupin. Lierin opened the door and let Remus enter her office before she did and unknowingly she kicked the small piece of paper in as well. Lierin had managed to create quite a mystical atmosphere in her office. All of the bookshelves were crammed with ancient looking books, parchment rolls and a various selection of magical artefacts. There were no paintings on the walls, instead, Lierin had put two ancient Gaelic looking swords on the wall casting a mysterious white-bluish light on her desk beneath them. On the far north wall she had put a glass closet with all sorts of magical bracelets, and the same glass closet on the eastern wall stuffed with all sorts of magical rings. Against the western wall, was a wrought-iron spiral and in the middle of that spiral floated a large silver knife. There was no visible force holding up the knife, definitely magic. The knife was really a beautiful piece of work with a large golden snake engraved in the blade. The same snake was crawling around the haft and had sparkling ruby eyes. It was one of Lierin's most treasured artefacts and she was proud to have it in her possession for it was the legendary knife of Bia, a knife which was believed to protect the person who sheathed it into the ground and touched the haft. There was also a darker side to it, if you carried a certain disease or if you hadn't able to use the knife to protect yourself in time, you could use it to heal yourself. That given fact was a good one, of course, but not the way to achieve that goal. You'd have to wound yourself with the knife as well as your victim and you had to mingle your blood with that of your victim. That way, the person carrying the disease would bring it over to the other person and the other person would transfer his health to the first. Still, the knife had saved Lierin's life countless times so it still held a special place in her heart. 

Lierin walked over to her desk and gave an aggravated sigh when she threw a stack over papers on it. Of course the entire stack of papers slid of the desk causing the papers to fly all over the room. Lierin sighed again and started to collect the papers. Remus had already made himself comfortable and was sitting in a very comfortable armchair but his animal agility enabled him to snatch quite a few papers out of the air and he handed them to Lierin with an air of pretended aloof. He looked at Lierin with a bemused look in his eyes. She was clearly upset. Little did Lierin know that by collecting the papers, the small crumpled parchment with half the poem also managed to find it's way between the rest of the papers. Lierin put the stack on her desk again and this time she did so a little more carefully.

"I still can't believe he actually went through with it! Can you believe it? He actually went to see Dumbledore to complain about something as stupid as a poem. I simply have no words for it!"

"Indeed, It was quite astonishing to see him get so angry about something as insignificant as that. But, I can't get rid of the feeling that, as a matter of fact, he was indeed jealous. At least I can't imagine why else something as innocent as a little poem would set him off so much. And why didn't you correct him anyway? It was very clear what assumptions he made after hearing that poem."

"Oh for crying out loud Remus! That ugly, slimy, old git had it coming! He was really overreacting and I got angry. I didn't want to tell him. Not while it seemed to bother him so much!"

"Yes, he really was overreacting. But then again, so are you."

Lierin's mouth dropped wide open.

"I beg your pardon?"

Remus got very serious all of a sudden. Something had been bothering him for quite a while now and it was time he got it in the open.

"You heard me all right. You're overreacting, just like Severus did. But then again, you two have always overreacted when it concerned one another."

Lierin's pursed her lips together. She was already angry as she was, Remus needn't to make things worse. She'd never hit him before but by Merlin, if he continued this way, she'd not be sorry to make an exception. There was a first time for everything, right? 

"And what might you be implying with that?"

"Nothing, at least not what you think. It's just that... You two have always lived on the brink of eruption. In your school years, now when you're a teacher. In case you haven't noticed, it's not normal! No one has reacted on a teacher slash student before as you two have. No student ever nearly boiled a teacher before and no teacher ever cursed a student before. But the two of you have! With the two of you, there were always too many colliding emotions involved."

"That's not true! You would have done the same as me, I know it! It - it was a freak accident. He was being his nasty old self as usual and I just couldn't take it anymore. At the moment it felt like it was the right thing to do, I couldn't help myself! For crying out loud, he was the one who cursed me! He didn't have to do that you know!"

Remus ferociously grabbed Lierin by her arms and she let out a little yelp of pain. His eyes were flickering with an emotion never seen before. 

"Lierin, don't you get it! That's just it! That's what I'm trying to tell you! _At the moment it felt like the right thing to do! _Don't you ever feel like your life is being controlled by some unseen force? As if a little voice bids you to do something you know is wrong but you do it _anyway because you know it was meant to be that way_?"

"Remus, you're scaring me let me go!" cried Lierin. 

Confused, Remus obeyed.

"Lierin, I'm so sorry. I don't know what got into me. But do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

"Of course I do, it's called your conscious!" 

"Argh! That's not what I mean! I mean...something that started a long time ago. Something that started the moment you laid eyes on Snape and something that started when Snape almost got killed. Something...evil. And I don't mean Voldemort. I mean destiny or fate or whatever you want to call it. I feel it sometimes. Like that night when Sirius lured Snape to the whomping willow and on other occasions as well. I feel like I don't have any control in anything I do or decide to do, as if I'm nothing but a pawn in a morbid game of wizard's chess. And sometimes I say things or do things and I feel like I have said or done it before and I don't mean just déjà vu. It's something else."

This time Lierin knew what he was talking about and she also knew he was right. She had felt it too. 

"I know." said Lierin simply, "I know. I've felt it too I just...never thought about it. Never wanted to think about it really."

"You felt it too? When?"

"Is it important when I felt it? I think I felt it on a few occasions, at least the day I threw the Mana Spirit over Professor Snape. I mean Severus."

"Something strange is going on. I don't know what, I can't explain why, but something is very wrong."

"You know what I felt the other day when Professor Dumbledore paid me a visit? It was right after Severus ...after Severus saved me from the Dementors... I really was being an insufferable bitch wasn't I? " sighed Lierin. Remus smiled. Lierin had a habit of saying exactly what was on her mind, without thinking about the consequences. Often people didn't have a clue what the hell she was talking about but Remus had got used to it.

"Just a bit I'm afraid. Why don't you just go to him and explain things?"

"He probably wouldn't listen to me anyway. Besides, even if I was being a bitch, I don't see why I should go to him while he was the one insulting us in the first place."

"Fine, fine." said Remus a little annoyed when they were diverging from their first topic, "What did you feel when Dumbledore was with you?"

"Oh, right. Well, he was with me for a while and I explained him about the goblet"

"I was wondering when you'd come around to tell him."

"Will you let me finish? As I was saying, I told him about the goblet and why I wanted to find it's counterpart. If there's any information about it, it should be here somewhere."

"But so far you came up with nothing and reading questionable books doesn't help either."

"Okay, next time YOU hand me the books I should read."

"You should have read Rowena's dairy. It's old as hell and something useful might have been in it."

"Pah, there's was nothing in it but utter nonsense. I can't even remember what it was about. Suns and moons and creatures and what-not. It was full of crap I'll tell you that."

"Okay, so it was full of crap, we'll find another book later. Now can you please go on with your story?"

"Hey! You were the one who brought up that book, not me!"

"Continue?"

"Fine, as I was trying to tell you before you so rudely interrupted me, I was explaining to Dumbledore about the goblet and he asked me a few questions...." 

Lierin stopped and eyed Remus conspicuously. 

"Yes, and ...?"

"He already knew the answers Remus!"

"That's ludicrous! Why would Dumbledore ask questions he already knows the answers to?"

"Because he was supposed to ask me those questions! Don't you get it? What were we talking about all along?"

"How did you know he knew?"

"For one, he wasn't shocked about it what I told him. A normal person would be. It was as if he was expecting this to happen."

"Why didn't you ask him then? Whether he knew about it or not."

"At the time I just thought he had done a fair deal of research about it. But when you just told me about your suspicions the entire ordeal just struck to me as odd. Dumbledore knew much more about the goblet than plausible. I was specific enough in my book yes, but not _that_ specific. It was sheer dumb luck when I stumbled upon information about the goblet and after that it took me years to find enough information about it to be able to dedicate an entire chapter on it in one of my books. It's not very likely Dumbledore found out about the goblet and then spent years studying it."

"It does seem very unlikely. You think they're all connected with each other?"

"I don't know Remus. It is possible. Or maybe we are just being paranoid and nothing is going on at all. I mean, it is a little farfetched don't you think?"

"You mean as farfetched as magic is to muggles?"

"Right. Well, just to make sure, I'll try and find out exactly how much Dumbledore knows about all this. If your suspicions are true we need to determine when this all started. We need to go to the very beginning, maybe we'll come up with something from there."

"And how do you suggest we do that?"

"'Well, try to determine when you first had that feeling of déjà vu and I'll do the same."

"That's easier said than done Lierin. You see, I have experienced it my entire life."

Lierin let herself fall onto her chair and she let out a weary sigh.

"Oh Remus, what are we going to do? I feel as if we're fighting a losing battle and that nothing we do matters. How can we stop what's going on? What IS going on?"

"I don't know. But from now on, when I feel I must do something, I'll do the opposite."

"I think that won't do much good. Whatever it is that's toying with us, it's a lot stronger, a lot smarter than to be fooled by such tricks."

"What do you suggest we do then?"

"We wait," said Lierin, "We wait and see what happens. And when we are better prepared, when we know what to do, we fight back. The answer is here somewhere. I know it, and I'm going to find out even if it's the last thing I do." 


	11. Aftermath of a messed up potion

This is the chapter you've probably been waiting for. Finally, a bit of romantic action between the leading characters. It was about time. I almost gave up on those two. Oh, and don't be fooled by the storm at hand there will be romantic actions in this chapter. Though I warn you, it's not much.

R & R J 

Chapter 11

After that weekend Lierin had taken up teaching again and it was at the end of her first years class when Lierin wondered if Longbottom had offered the Pearlypod pearls to Snape yet. She hadn't heard about it since the Care of Magical Creatures class and she decided she would ask. Lierin assigned the first years a considerable amount of homework, much to the students discontent, but Lierin would hear none of it.

"When you find your bedroom gone, or no food on you plate _then_ you may complain. Until that moment, you still have to write me an essay on the ways to use spellbreakers and spellbouncers, and the difference between them. I want one parchment on the subject next time we have class again. Class dismissed." 

The students left her class and the only thing that relieved some of their disappointment was the fact that Ancient Magical Artefacts was a very interesting subject and at this moment not very hard, so writing that essay should be a piece of cake. The third-year Gryffindors and Slytherins were her second class but for them she had decided on a practical lesson rather than a theoretical one and she was pretty excited about it. The Gryffindors and Slytherins soon entered her class and took out their books, parchment and quills the moment they sat down. The quiet solemness about the Gryffindors contradicted the malignantly excited Slytherins and Lierin felt something was wrong. A particularly foul look was stuck on Weasley's face and Potter stared at a blank point in space with a grim look on his face. Granger was sitting with her arms folded and her lips pursed and Lierin wondered what could have caused their current state of mind. Behind Granger she noticed Longbottom staring at the floor with his eyes filled with tears. Judging from the fact that his eyes were all red and puffy he probably had cried before this lesson. 

Lierin felt a sharp pang in her heart seeing the sad look on Longbottom's face. He had been so proud with his twenty Pearlypod pearls and now he looked so ...defeated. She knew she'd do better to stay out of it, but Lierin _had_ to know what happened to Longbottom.

"Weasley, could you come over here please?" said Lierin with a stern voice. Weasley's head snapped up and even his ears got red when he got up and approached Lierin. 

"Professor Heartilly?" he asked hesitatingly, wondering if he had already gotten himself in some kind of trouble.

"There's no need to look so worried, I just want to have a word with you."

Weasley nodded his head and followed Lierin outside of class. 

"Today's will be a practical lesson for you," Lierin started, "And because a practical lesson would be too hard for the first years, they had a theoretical lesson. That left me with little time to prepare for you third years. Anyway, I was wondering if you could give me a hand with something I need in class." 

"Of course. What do you want me to do?" said Weasley, obviously very proud Lierin had chosen him over the others to help her. 

"Just follow me. Uhm, what's wrong with Longbottom anyway?" Lierin hoped she wasn't too obvious about it when she guided Weasley to her storeroom just around the corner of the class where she taught Ancient Magical Artefacts. Weasley, a little reluctant to spill his guts, watched as Lierin pulled out a small statue with some kind of blue rod in it.

"Don't worry, you won't get into any trouble if you tell me," said Lierin in what she hoped was a reassuring manner and before Weasley could stop himself, he poured out his heart still, seething about the injustice that had been inflicted upon Longbottom. He told her how Snape had sneered at Longbottom, offering him his well earned twenty pearls and how Snape had thrown the precious pearls to the ground squishing them with his feet. If that hadn't been enough, Snape had really humiliated Longbottom in front of the rest of the class by calling him a useless ...something...(Weasley was too angry to repeat it). It took him quite a while before he was finished and Lierin listened to him patiently, desperately trying to hide her own mounting fury. When he was finally done talking she had clenched her teeth together and her clenched fists had gone white around the knuckles and were trembling with emotions. Weasley looked at her, not certain what his teacher would say or do or what he should say or do.

"Very well, thank you for explaining the ...situation." Weasley's eyes grew wide when he noticed the awkward strain in her voice.

"If you would be so kind... to bring this... this statue to class. I'd be...very... grateful. Just be careful...not... to touch...the blue rod." Lierin drew a sharp breath, keeping her emotions under control as if this were very hard and she didn't know how much longer she could keep it up.

"Now, if you'll...excuse me. I have some things...something...to do right...now, this moment." 

Lierin wheeled around and marched out of the storeroom. She didn't know what she was going to do but her legs carried her swiftly to the dungeons, her bright robes billowing behind her. Her anger increased with every step she took and her blue sapphire eyes, from which it was always easy to tell in what kind of mood she was, resembled a stormy sky, lightening with her peaking fury. Peeves the poltergeist, who was floating upside-down in mid-air, probably up to some mischief but at the moment unsuspecting of Lierin's foul mood, had to pay for merely getting in her way. 

"Out of my way!!" shouted Lierin while she swooped out her wand, hitting Peeves with some kind of curse, and whatever it was he didn't like it because he whirled right way up and zoomed away, cursing. When she reached the dungeons, she smacked the door wide open, giving the unsuspecting students a frightening start. Quickly, Lierin glared around, searching for her victim, but to her surprise and great disappointment he was not in the class. The only thing odd was that two boys, most likely the Weasley twins, were standing near Snape's cauldron with very guilty looks on their faces. 

"To your seats!" Lierin scowled at them and she probably looked very frightening because their legs couldn't carry them faster to their seats as they did that instant. 

"What's that you're holding in your hand?" Lierin demanded to know.

"N-n-nothing P-P-Professor," stuttered one of the twins who desperately tried to muffle away whatever it was he was holding.

"Give it to me...NOW!" Lierin was on the verge of exploding and Fred Weasley thought it wiser to hand her over the ingredients, which he surreptitiously had wanted to through in Snape's cauldron, for at the moment the professor looked fifty times more terrifying than a very angry Snape and that counted for something. Lierin took the ingredients. Fastitocalon feathers and Dual horns. She didn't know what would happen if those ingredients were added to Snape's concoction, but she hoped that it was something nasty. She spun around on her heels and violently threw the ingredients in Snape's concoction.

"If Snape gets poisoned...good riddance. I'll take full mantle of responsibility. If not.... too bad. At least I hope he'll suffer from something very nasty... heaven knows he deserves it. So, if he lives and wants to know who did this to him, you can send him my way. Let me just get my hands on him!" 

With those words Lierin stalked out of the classroom and left the students terror-stricken, but they soon recovered themselves. Fred and George smirked at each other and agreed on one thing.

"Professor Heartilly is very cool!" 

Still very angry Lierin strode back to her own class when suddenly a horrible image came floating to the surface of her mind...a very, very, very angry Snape with eyes burning like black coals and a nasty sneer playing around his cruel mouth. She shuddered as she remembered what had happened to her last time when she had angered Snape in such a rash way. The pain she usually felt in her left leg made perfectly sure she'd never forget what happens if you cross Professor Snape. Involuntarily, her thoughts drifted away to that one fateful day.

__

They were making a new potion that day, Mana spirit. It could be extremely dangerous and it should be prepared with the uttermost care. If concocted in the right way, the potion gave you a burst of magical energy. A few cauldrons away from the one Lierin and Charlie were working on, a girl from Ravenclaw was in trouble. Patty Solestrum regularly went to pieces in Potions and the poor girl was mortally afraid of Professor Snape, which made things a hundred times worse. 

Her potion was boiling over and leaking into the flames under the cauldron, resulting in small explosions releasing a gas that soon filled the entire dungeon. Snape was beside himself with fury.

"You STUPID TWIT! Does anything penetrate that thick skull of yours at all? Or maybe there simply isn't anything present in your skull, because I certainly can't imagine you having A BRAIN in there!" 

Patty broke down in tears and her shoulders started to shake violently.

"What on earth do you think you are doing in my class? Get out! Get out, I say, before..."

"SHUT UP!" Lierin had jumped to her feet and a fit of burning rage was thundering through her veins. Her face had gone deathly white and her eyes wide open with fury were flashing dangerously. Charlie desperately tried to pull her back to her seat but she briskly swept his arm away.

"What did you say to me, Heartilly?"

"You heard me, you bastard! I told you to shut up! Can't you see what you are doing to this poor girl? She's afraid enough as she is, do you really want to send her to an early grave?"

"SHUT UP, I WILL NOT BE SPOKEN TO IN SUCH AN INSOLENT MATTER!!"

"I WILL SPEAK TO YOU IN ANY WAY I LIKE, YOU DISGUSTING, HEATHEN DOG FROM HADES. YOU DARE TO CALL YOURSELF A TEACHER?"

"TWO HUNDRED POINTS FROM GRYFFINDOR. NOW SIT DOWN BEFORE I DEDUCT ANOTHER HUNDRED POINTS!!"

With a roar of rage, Lierin picked up her cauldron, not caring about the fact that the heat was blistering her hands, and she threw it's content over her Potions Master. The entire class fell silent and none of the students dared to draw a single breath. They watched their Potions Master, soaking wet in his black robes and the potion dripping from all over him, forming a puddle around his feet. His eyes were shooting daggers at her and before anyone noticed what he was doing, before anyone could stop him, Snape had pulled out his wand from his robes, pointed it at Lierin with a grand swooping motion and ordered her to sit down immediately. He had merely pulled out his wand to put more force behind his words, but while he ordered her to sit down, a stream of red sparks shot out of the end of his wand, hitting Lierin square in her upper leg, the force of the hit sending her reeling backwards and smashing her against one of the walls. 

The pain surging though her leg brought Lierin back to the present and she knew she had to get back to her own class. When she finally entered her class, the students were talking but they fell silent the moment they spotted her. Lierin could feel them staring at her pale face and she could almost hear them wondering about what was going on.

"Good afternoon," she said. "You can put your books away for now. You won't be needing them this time." 

Lierin glanced at the door. Any moment now a furious Snape could barge in and she didn't feel like being cursed by him a second time. Maybe, if she'd just use a magical barrier, he would lose the element of surprise, enabling her to prepare herself, plus he'd suffer a great deal of pain. Of course that would only enrage him further, so she decided to leave a warning at the door, not to enter her class by himself but to wait until she'd open the door for him. Not that he would heed that warning, but at least afterwards he couldn't blame her for not warning him. She put the warning in front of her door, opened up her leather case and pulled out an old and strange star-shaped device. She twisted a few knobs around and punched in a few weird shaped buttons before placing it in front of the threshold. After a few seconds the strange device opened up and a bright light emerged from it, creating some sort a magical screen which only remained visible for a few moments. When Lierin walked away from the device, it looked like a very harmless piece of junk, waiting for someone to pick it up and throw it away. There! At least Snape couldn't barge in anymore and, if he didn't want to pay attention to her warning and tried to barge in anyway, he was in for a very unpleasant surprise.

"So," Lierin said with a smile as she noticed the Egyptian obelisk standing in the middle of the classroom with the blue rod sheathed in its slot. 

"Ah, I can see you managed to give Scharear's Fate a good place. Thank you Mr Weasley. Scharear's Fate, I trust none of you are familiar with it?" Lierin asked but to her surprise the Granger girl raised her hand. 

"Miss Granger?"

"Scharear lived a long time ago, he was a traveler searching for 'The eye of Osiris.' No one ever saw him again but a few years ago someone - you - discovered a statue, which is believed to have once been Scharear."

"Very well Miss Granger. So you read one of my books. I'm impressed, it's not the sort of stuff a young girl of your age would be interested in." 

Granger beamed proudly and Lierin continued.

"This obelisk is what Scharear found in his search for the eye of Osiris. Now, I want you think about what _you_ would do if you found this obelisk. Mr Malfoy, what would you do?"

"Leave that piece of junk alone?" Malfoy said with his usual sneer.

"Even if you knew that the blue rod sheathed in it's slot is Achilles' Spear and holds tremendous powers?" 

"Ehr- it would certainly make it more interesting, yes." Malfoy said, his eyes glittering with new interest as he glanced at the blue rod.

"All right, I'll make you a deal. If you can pull Achilles' Spear out of it's slot, you may keep it." Lierin's eyes were sparkling with mischief as she noted the greed entering Malfoy's pale blue eyes. Slowly, Malfoy got up from his seat and stretched his hands forward as if he couldn't wait to lay his hands on the infernal rod. 

"Hmm, you might want to carry this," said Lierin and she put Hagrid's spellbreaker around Malfoy's neck, he didn't even seem to notice. The rest of the class watched in silence as they saw Malfoy reaching out for the rod, wondering if Professor Heartilly had gone mad by practically placing the dangerous object in Malfoy's hands. A questioning look appeared in Ron Weasley's eyes. Why had Professor Heartilly warned him about not touching the blue rod if it wasn't dangerous?

"I don't understand," Ron whispered to Harry and Hermione, "She warned me not to touch the rod."

"Sssh!" Hermione whispered angrily. Ron sent her an angry glare but at least he paid attention to Malfoy again. With an evil glare in his eyes Malfoy reached out for the rod and pulled... nothing happened. Malfoy looked annoyed when the rod wouldn't give in so he pulled harder. This time something definately happened. Suddenly the blue rod lit up, spreading a bright blue light from deep within it's core, followed by an explosion of light and an extreme force of energy which sent the students falling to the ground. Lierin only had her eyes covered against the bright light, otherwise she seemed quite indifferent about the entire incident. Curious for their reaction, she watched her students intently. A little dazed from the explosion, they all took their seats again until one student shook them all up from their temporary dazed states of mind.

"Look at Malfoy!" cried Seamus Finnigan and all students turned their heads to see what Finnigan was making such a fuss about.

"Draco!" cried Pansy Parkinson as she noticed that Malfoy had changed into a crystal statue. The students gasped in shock and Lierin smiled cheerfully.

"Congratulations, you just found out what happened to Scharear. That's what might happen to each and every one of you if you're not careful with ancient artefacts, if you let greed consume you and allow it to blur your mind. Now, I wasn't completely fair with Mr.Malfoy, I never gave him the chance to study the artefact. Then again, he should have had the mind to study it on his own initiative. Remember, if you find an artefact and you don't know what it is, Leave... It... Alone... At all times. First you do research and when you feel confident enough about it, do more research, then you just might have a chance to achieve your goal."

As Lierin was holding her speech about research, research, research, an idea formed in her head. She knew it was close to impossible to keep up the act of being a teacher and at the same time trying to do research about the goblets. Remus had offered to help of course, but there were only so many books two people could read. Maybe she could give her class an assignment about the goblets and maybe someone would come up with something useful. Involuntarily, her gaze shifted to Miss Granger, who was paying the uttermost attention to her speech. Lierin made up her mind, she would do it. That way, the children would be helping her with her quest and she didn't have to explain to them anything. She was about to give the class their next assignment when the door flung open with a violent 'bang' and Snape came in like a raging bull. From the looks of it, he was seething with fury and Lierin was grateful she had been in the right state of mind to take precautions. The students gulped at seeing an enraged Snape barging through the door but something suddenly stopped him, something that froze him from head to toe. The magical barrier became visible again and turned into a deep shade of blue, a color that somehow rubbed off on Snape, for he too turned into that same eerie color. The magical screen started to vibrate dangerously and soon erupted in a forceful blast, smashing Snape against the ground. 

"Class dismissed!" Lierin cried out as she pulled out her wand. They all got up at once and left the classroom as quickly as their legs could carry them. Nobody wanted to witness what was about to happen. It seemed to take Snape eternity before he recovered himself and advanced on Lierin in a slow and ominous fashion. Lierin gasped as she noticed the dark unholy glare in Snape's black onyx eyes. It was said that the eyes are the windows to the soul, but looking into his, Lierin was convinced that he did not have one, for they showed nothing but death. Lierin was still standing there with her wand in her hand, but one swift 'expelliarmo' spell left her defenseless. Lierin couldn't move. She found herself only able to stare in his doom predicting eyes, waiting for the first blow or the first curse, like a deer waiting to get run over by a truck. 

Snape hadn't said a word since disarming her and he kept on approaching her, still saying nothing. It seemed as if she had been flung back in time for she felt like a schoolgirl again with Snape as her teacher. Lierin didn't know she had been moving backwards until her back slumped against a wall and within a few seconds Snape had closed the gap between them. So this was it, there was no means of escaping him or his wrath, she thought as Snape put his hand around her throat and firmly pinched her against the wall. Her feet were dangling in the air as Snape brought his face just an inch from hers, so that she could feel his hot breath against her skin and inhale his scent, the scent of his potions mixed with acres of woods. The heat was radiating from his body and her heart started to beat faster until she felt she would choke. Snape looked down in her big bright eyes, now filled with fear and for the first time he noticed their incredible blue color and the thick eyelashes decorating them. His gaze shifted from her eyes to her fine nose and from there to her full and sensual lips which softly trembled, which made them even more desirable. He knew he was very angry with her for some reason but the anger faded away as another emotion took control of him. It wasn't difficult to notice that she was beautiful, simply lovely and it surprised him that he hadn't noticed this sooner. Her skin was pale like his, but hers resembled the delicate petals of white roses. 

Slowly, he decreased the pressure on her throat and he gently put her feet back on the ground. As he did so, her body slid down his front, the two of them all too aware of the contact their bodies made against each other. She didn't move a muscle, she just kept on staring at him with those enchanting eyes of hers. Very carefully he reached out a hand and gently touched the skin on her neck with his long and lean fingers, and from there he moved them lower to the hollow at the base of her throat. She licked her lips nervously and swallowed as she watched him as his fingers moved lightly over her skin in a gentle feather light caress. 

"Perfect. Absolutely perfect," he murmured, his voice sounding like rich velvet. His body was almost touching hers and her heart started to hammer in her throat as she realised he was going to kiss her. And by Merlin, she wanted him to, she thought as she looked into his black onyx eyes which were no longer empty, nor menacing or threatening, but in which she now noticed a soft burning fire. Her cheeks were stained a pretty pink and emboldened by her flushed cheeks, he lowered his head and brushed his lips gently against hers in a quick kiss. She didn't react; she didn't kiss him back nor did she slap him in the face. He lowered his head again and softly he began to kiss her. His mouth was amazingly soft and tender when it touched hers, yet it stirred a riot of emotions in her. She felt her heart hammering in her chest as his mouth introduced hers to kissing, for she never had the chance to get romantically involved because of her choice of career His kisses were gentle at first and then became more impassioned. His tongue probed the corners of her mouth, ran over the inside of her lower lip trying to coax her lips apart. 

"Oh Lierin!" he whispered in a groan as his tongue finally gained entrance to the sweet cavern of her mouth. He felt her arms move around his neck, her fingers gripping his shoulders as the kiss intensified. He pressed his mouth harder against hers unable to get enough of her sweetness, bruising her lips, but he didn't care. When he finally stopped kissing her, her lips were all red and swollen and she had a dazed look in her eyes. When it dawned on her what he had just done, Lierin could feel her anger flare up and she pushed him away after slapping him in the face. The slap brought Snape back to his senses as well and as she went to slap him again, but Snape pulled her arms apart to prevent her from doing so. The forward motion made her fall against his chest and she found herself looking straight back up into his dark eyes again which were now filled with anger, the soft burning fire completely gone. 

"Still as rash as always aren't you Heartilly? What have I done to you this time that you find it necessary to disturb my class and mess up my potion?"

"Was it nasty?" Lierin asked, curious about the side effects and unable to keep the hopeful tone out of her voice. Snape just glared at her.

"I asked you a question! Answer me. Now!" he growled.

"Fine! Because you are such a stuck up prick and a...."

"Disgusting heathen dog from Hades?" he asked with an arched eyebrow.

"I can't believe you still remember that one, but if you insist...yes. For Merlin's sake Severus!"

Lierin didn't notice he shivered when he heard her use his first name even though it wasn't the first time she did so.

"Longbottom didn't deserve to be treated that way! And the boy was so proud..."

"Didn't deserve to be treated that way? The kid was trying to pull a prank on me! Shoving some disgusting stuff under my nose in the hope I would use it in my potions!"

"Pulling a prank on you?! For crying out loud Severus, what did you think Longbottom was trying to give you? Bathing pearls or something?" Lierin had meant those words sarcastically but when she noticed the look on Snape's face...

"Oh no, don't tell me you actually did think those were bathing pearls!"

"Don't look at me that way! It has happened before!" said Snape thinking about the Weasley twins, "If they weren't bathing pearls, what were they anyway?"

"Pearlypod pearls. Longbottom was the only one in class who succeeded in collecting a pearl from every Pearlypod we had. Twenty in total. You should have seen the boy's face. He was so proud and wanted nothing more than to give you those pearls. Probably to show you that even though he's not so very good in Potions, he has his abilities in other classes. He just wants your approval Severus, just like Patty Solestrum wanted, but either you don't know or you just don't care."

"Are you trying to tell me how I should teach my classes?" Snape said in his most dangerous voice.

"No, I'm just telling you to give Longbottom a break. At least try to ignore him if he screws up again, yelling at him and humiliating him in front of his fellow students doesn't help, it just makes him more nervous."

Snape didn't reply, he was looking at Malfoy with incredulity in his eyes.

"Don't tell me that is young Mr Malfoy!" Snape said with gritted teeth.

"Ya, actually it is. I can't tell you how peaceful it was in class. I think I like him better this way, he's so calm, so serene, so at peace with himself, don't you think?" Lierin asked him with a sweet voice. Snape turned around to face her but he noticed her eyes twinkling with mischief. He approached her, grabbed her by her waist and pulled her close to him.

"I think I prefer you backed up against the wall like a few moments ago," Snape said while lowering his head. Lierin just smiled and escaped his embrace.

"Unfortunately we can't always have what we want." With those words she took the spellbreaker from Malfoy's neck and soon the boy fell to the ground. He looked around in a dazed fashion and seemed unaware of what had happened to him. 

"Is class over already?" he asked, surprised to see Snape standing in the room as well. 

"Yes, why don't you go to the Great Hall? See if there are any remains?" said Lierin with a chuckle, winking at Snape.

"Come on, let's see if there's anything left for us." In a jolly mood Lierin grabbed Snape's arm and pulled it through hers and too stunned to reject it, Snape just let her guide him to the Great Hall.


	12. The Mystery of Serena Romero

Lierin discovers an old wound that still haunts Severus. She's curious and determined to find out more about this mystery girl. More about her in later chapters. 

For those who have reviewed my story so far, thank you very much. 

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Chapter 12

The Mystery of Serena Romero 

It became a familiar fact that Professor Heartilly loved to visit Professor Lupin in-between classes. After several weeks of teaching this had become a habit of hers. So, after a while they stopped looking for Professor Heartilly in her own office altogether whenever someone needed her, but immediately went to Lupins' office. You could usually find her chatting with Professor Lupin, or you could find them silently working together, marking essays and such. There were all kinds of speculations about their relationship, but Professor Heartilly and Professor Lupin did nothing but smile and send each other meaningful looks. This Thursday afternoon wasn't an exception. Lierin was sat on Remus' desk, her feet dangling in the air, talking to Remus who was relaxing in his comfortable leather chair. 

"So, you and Snape... you knew each other before you came here?" asked Lierin.

"Yes, didn't you know? We were in the same year. He was Slytherin, of course."

"I figured as much."

"That he used to be Slytherin?"

"That too, but I meant that you seem to know each other, you using his first name and such."

"You use his first name as well."

"Yes, well, I knew him, too. He WAS my Potions Master, after all. Besides, I'd be damned before I'd call him _Professor Snape_ again! Remus, has it ever occurred to you that... I mean... judging by his behaviour that time in the Hospital Wing... and judging by his overall behaviour... Snape, he hates you, you know."

"Yes, I do. No big surprise there."

"Oh, so... he hated you in your school days as well?"

"Loathed is a better word. He always used to follow James, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew and me around, hoping to find out something nasty about us that would get us expelled." 

Lierin snorted and when she spoke, her voice was filled with contempt. "Yes, that sounds like Snape all right."

"He was also VERY curious about my strange "outings" once a month. He was determined to find out, nearly got himself killed one time trying to find out about my little "secret." 

"Hmm, so curiosity didn't kill the cat that time. Too bad, he would have done the world a great favour by dying."

Remus couldn't help himself; he had to laugh when he heard her spiteful voice. "Come on Lierin, you don't hate him THAT much. You just asked about him so he clearly must be of some interest to you."

"I'm NOT interested in Snappy Snape! I just wanted to know if he had always been such a pain in the ass!"

Remus laughed again. "Snappy Snape? Is that what you used to call him... ?" 

Suddenly, the door creaked open and in came Snape, carrying a smoking goblet. Lierin grew crimson red and excused herself , but when she tried to leave, Snape was in her way. For an intense moment, he looked at her with an odd closed expression on his face until he finally bothered to step aside to let her pass.

"You forgot your potion. Again," said Snape with his iciest of voices.

"Yes, terribly sorry. Thank you, Severus..."

Lierin left the room in a hurry, leaving two archenemies behind in one room. Well, if Snape went all prickly and everything, Remus could always tear him apart. 

Confused, annoyed, distraught and shaky, Lierin let herself rest against the door. Okay, time to figure out what she really felt. Confusion? Oh yes, she definitely felt confused about Snape. Most of the time she felt nothing but disgust for the man but after - how long ago was it? - that day when he came barging in and... 

With flushed cheeks Lierin forced herself to be "Annoyed". 

Was she annoyed? Hell yes! Of course, "Annoyed" was a feeling born out of "Confused," but annoyed she was, nevertheless. She was also annoyed because most of the time Snape was being an insufferable git who could do nothing else than criticise her work, scold her at every given opportunity, and bully all students at school - especially first years - except, of course, his precious Slytherins like Draco Malfoy. Lierin was now pacing restlessly in front of Remus' office and she was getting angry - fast. Better move on to distraught. Hmm, wasn't that the same as confused? Distraught sounded better though. Shaky? Lierin looked at her hands and noticed they trembled slightly. Lierin rammed her fist against the wall and cursed loudly. What was this man doing to her? He invaded her thoughts uninvited and worse, once he was there, it was impossible to get rid of him. 

He taunted her, provoked her, and drove her mad with his bland smiles, the casual flicks of his hair, his silky voice and his detached and suave composure. Realisation hit her hard. She was falling for Snape and she was falling hard. Good heavens, how deep could she fall? Damn, things were getting complicated and things were already complicated enough as they were. Damn, of all the men in existence, she of course had to fall for the most ill-mannered one of them all. Lierin sighed deeply and warily. How on earth could she ever be nasty to him again? Things would never be the same again. He would keep on loathing her, and be as nasty and cruel as always, and she would be left behind with a broken heart because of the simple fact that she loved him._ Excuse me? Who said anything about love? We are talking about Snape here_, thought Lierin. _Snape as in Severus Snape as in S-N-A-P-E. The one who could not love, would not love and never would be loved_. Okay, so she was thinking about him more than she usually did, especially considering the fact that usually she didn't think about him at all, but that didn't necessarily mean that she was actually in love with the guy. 

So, maybe she did feel something for him, but it didn't mean that she "loved" him. She desired him, and that was bad enough. For a moment Lierin tried to imagine what it must be like to love the man, a love that would never be returned. Suddenly she felt it. It was only for a brief moment but it struck her as sudden and as ruthless as a bolt of lightning, for a moment she actually felt what it was like to love him and to lose him. Actually, she didn't 'feel' what it would be like to lose him, she remembered what it had been like to lose him. That small fragment of intense emotion was a memory! Accompanied with the sensation of loving and losing love, Lierin felt a feeling of betrayal, a feeling of anger and hate that was so intense, that for a short moment she desired Snape's death, and that feeling too was a memory! Lierin's hand flew to her throat the moment she realised what she was thinking and her eyes widened in disbelief. 

She just had a memory of something she shouldn't even have a single memory about! A love for Snape and a hate that could only be the result of betrayal. 

__

His betrayal! But that never happened! 

She started to pace around restlessly in front of Remus' office in a desperate attempt to calm herself down. The confusion she felt in this situation, and the fact that she didn't have the foggiest idea about what was going on, why her mind would play such cruel tricks on her, almost drove her to tears. She could already feel the stinging sensation in her eyes but she didn't allow the tears to fall. With a not too friendly blast, the door to Remus' office flung open and Snape came out with his robes billowing behind him in his trail. The moment he spotted Lierin with tear-filled eyes, Snape stopped dead in his tracks causing his robes to flow forward and hug his body. She stared back at him in shock, her eyes wide open. One single tear fell down her cheek and her hand immediately flew to her eyes to wipe the others away. 

"Severus..." said Lierin with a squeaky voice.

Severus could only stare at her. He remembered another girl, about the same height and build, but years younger. He remembered her standing outside his dungeons where he had caught her lingering around._"Professor Snape..."_ she had said in the same timid manner as the lovely creature that was standing in front of him now. It had been in his fifth year of teaching and he wasn't as harsh on the Gryffindor students as he was now, but the girl was still a Gryffindor and … well… Gryffindor and Slytherin didn't go well together. 

"Miss Romero, please enlighten me and tell me what a young Gryffindor girl such as yourself might be doing in the dungeons on a day like this?" 

Ah, yes, he could still remember her. Little Miss Serena Romero. 

A tiny fragile looking girl with a pleasing countenance though it was clear she would never turn into a beauty. Yet, there was an alluring air of innocence around her that would eventually turn her into an attractive young woman. 

Her wheat coloured hair was loosely pulled away in a braid and she looked at him with her bright tanzanite eyes. 

__

"I'm here professor, because I wanted to ask you a question… and I didn't dare to enter your office … because I wasn't sure if I should… ask you this question." 

There was a striking simplicity in those words and from her lips they almost sounded mature, yet when he looked down, he saw nothing but a child. His sarcasm fled and made way for concern. Snape took a step back, opened the door leading to his dungeons and bade her to come in. She entered without hesitating. A young Gryffindor girl putting all her trust in the head of Slytherin House.

"Severus? Are you all right? Severus?" 

A slight tug at his sleeve pulled Severus back to the present. He looked down and looked into Lierin's eyes full of concern. It really was striking to notice how much the two girls had in common… and yet… it was also striking to notice how _little_ the two girls had in common. But, Lierin standing in front of him wasn't a girl, Lierin had grown into a beautiful young woman. Yes, she had been a girl, a girl he had taught potions or better yet, whom had had tried to teach potions. She had been horrible in his class... It really was amazing how much pleasure one could receive from simply looking into a beautiful young woman's face. 

Lierin was shocked to see Severus stalking out of Remus' office. She had completely forgotten about his presence there or else she had completely lost track of all reality. Either way, it came as a shock to her senses to see the object of her confusion standing very lively in front of her. She noticed the peculiar look that crossed his face almost at the same time that she noticed a tear had slipped away from her right eye. Immediately, she wiped the inferior tears away and she hoped he hadn't noticed. If he had, he didn't let her know, his stoic posture betrayed nothing. In fact, he seemed a bit at a loss, as though he had no idea where he was. He was studying her, as if he had never seen her before… as if he had never seen a woman before. That was when she noticed. His eyes, they were filled with an emotion that Lierin couldn't place. She found it astonishing enough to see emotion in those black voids for once, without determining what it meant. His gaze traveled up and down her body and a sadness crept over his face that made Lierin yearn to comfort him. Without saying a word, Lierin approached the man in front of her. He didn't seem to notice. 

"Severus? Are you all right? Severus?" 

The words were barely a whisper so it was no wonder that he didn't hear her. She hesitated for a moment and then she tugged at his sleeve for his attention, like a little girl would do to get the attention of her father. Slowly he lowered his head to look at her and Lierin held her breath, overwhelmed by all the emotion she saw burning in his eyes. The sadness was still there. Lierin could tell by a certain tweak near the corner of his mouth. In a sudden fit of boldness, curiosity and desire, Lierin lifted her hand to touch his cheek, to caress his grief away. Snape didn't seem to be bothered by this gesture. No, he seemed to return it by placing his hand over hers. Unfortunately, Lierin made one mistake, she blinked. And suddenly all the emotion was gone from his eyes, and they had changed into empty voids once more. Gently he removed her hand from her face but he didn't scold her for having touched him unwontedly.

"I'm sorry. I have no idea what came over me. I … never mind."

He turned around and would have left her standing like that if she hadn't appealed to his sense of humanity. 

"Severus, are you sure you're all right? You look terribly upset. Is there anything … anything at all I can help you with?" The moment she had said those words she regretted them. Now she had given him the perfect opportunity to humiliate her again. Snape didn't want help ; he didn't want help from anyone and especially not from her. 

"Sorry. Just forget I said that. You don't want help. At least, not from me." 

She couldn't keep the pain from her voice and, had Snape been in his usual demeanour, he had a perfect reason to hurt her even more. She turned around quickly to walk away from the source of her confusion...

"Wait. Please, don't go away. I feel that… I must explain things to you if you are to understand why I was just standing there like a bloody fool." 

"Are you sure you want to tell me? I mean, not that I don't want to hear what you have to say… it's just that… you always seem so closed. Totally clamped up like an oyster. Afraid someone might steal away your pearl." 

"A pearl?" Snape snorted, "Better try a handful of mud!" 

"All right, if you wish. Just don't forget that mud, or actually a grain of sand is what initially created the pearl. You shouldn't think so low of yourself, there's no reason to. Anyway, if you still want to tell your story, I'd like to listen." 

Snape observed her for a moment. Probably determining whether she was jesting or not.

"Very well. I don't know whether you know this story or not, though I warn you, it's a sad one. It's a story that, unfortunately, also involves me, and not only that, it affected me as well. It hurt me if you can imagine that - Severus Snape, head of Slytherin House possesses something as humane as feelings or compassion." 

"Hmm, I've had my fair share of my old Potions Master. Why don't you tell me about the man behind the potions." 

"Ah, I'm afraid you won't find him. But let me continue. Though you might not want to hear it. You see, it also involves Gryffindor House in a - I'm afraid - not so pleasant way." 

Lierin smirked at hearing that and she doubted that he was, indeed, sorry about it.

"I think I'll take my chances." 

"Very well. Years ago, it was in the fifth year that I was teaching potions at Hogwarts, there was this young Gryffindor girl, a third year student. She was a bit like Miss Granger I imagine. Though not so incredibly insufferable and annoying. Her name was … Serena Romero." 

Obviously Snape had trouble talking about this. He curled his upper lip outwards, bearing his teeth for a split-second, at the mention of her name.

"She was a quiet girl and she always tried to do her best to please me. Her efforts didn't go unnoticed but I never praised them nor did I damn them. She didn't quite seem to fit in Gryffindor. She was neither brave nor courageous and she didn't make friends easily. Needless to say, she became a loner. Alone in Gryffindor because she didn't fit in and alone in the other houses simply because she wasn't one of them. The Hufflepuffs were friendly enough, though they saw little use in spending their precious time on her and the Ravenclaws were too self-centred to notice her. The Slytherins were the only ones who really seemed to understand her, even though they didn't trust her at first. Later on, her best friend turned out to be a Slytherin…" 

Snape almost added "me" to that last sentence, but that confession would leave him too vulnerable so he left that part out. Better to stick to the main plot.

"Anyway, one day I found Miss Romero outside my dungeons. She'd been crying, I could tell. She said she wanted to ask me a question and she told me about her suspicion that in her case the Sorting Hat had placed her wrongly. She had reasons to believe that she belonged in Slytherin and she practically begged me to take it to McGonagall." 

Suddenly Lierin detected a change in Snape's attitude. It went below zero again. The calmness of their conversation had obviously given him the time to recompose himself again and now the formidable and intimidating Potions Master was back again. 

The cold glare returned and the snarl was back, as if it had never left his face. Gone was the feeling of connection, the spell was broken and Lierin wished she hadn't touched his face.

"I did take it to McGonagall but she refused to listen. Eventually Miss Romero's desire to become a Slytherin lead to her death. End of story. I told you this because when I exited Lupin's office, you reminded me of her. Now, if I may make one suggestion, you'd do best to forget this ever happened. Forget what I told you. It's better that way." 

With those words Snape left her behind and she watched him go, his robes billowing behind him like they always had. 

"But how can I forget," thought Lierin, "when this was the first time I ever saw you act like a person? And why would it be better that way? Or would it be better for yourself?" 

Her curiosity was aroused. Who was Serena Romero? What had happened to her? Was there a connection between her and Snape's grudge against Gryffindor and McGonagall? There was only one way to find out. The school records. Unfortunately her newly planned trip to the library had to wait until the next day. Her next class was about to begin and she still had to prepare the lessons for the next day. Lierin grimaced when the thought hit her that she really was becoming a sophisticated teacher. At that she spread her robes and darted through the hallways like a lunatic and she laughed all the way to her class. Nah, that day wouldn't come. Never once did it cross Lierin's mind that she wouldn't be able to visit the library for a while.

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It was night and all inhabitants of Hogwarts were fast asleep. Well, maybe except for the Hogwarts ghosts and the one single person sneaking through the hallways. Maybe sneaking wasn't the right word, for this person walked through the hallways as if he was used to taking strolls through the hallways in the middle of the night. His fingers played with a small vial that he carried with him. This lonely figure seemed to have a certain goal, for his steps betrayed a certain air of confidence. The darkened hallways hid his features but obviously this person was not afraid of being caught sneaking through the hallways. So, this person couldn't be a student. The lonely figure stopped in front of a painting and he seemed to search for something, maybe a certain point of recognition. But, this person seemed to have found what he was looking for and a long slender but bony finger slid over the surface of the painting. A small pear started to wriggle and giggle and the painting flapped sideways, revealing the entrance to the kitchen. The lonely figure hoisted up his long wizards robes and entered. The busy house elves in the kitchen almost jumped a hole in the ceiling when they saw who it was that decided to honor their kitchen with a visit. Slowly the lonely figure stepped into the light and the soft beams of light caressed his features, his long beard, pointy hat and his crescent moon spectacles. 

"Headmaster Dumbledore!" cried one of the shy creatures.

"Flobby honored to see headmaster here. Headmaster want something to eat or drink? No?" asked the little house elf. Dumbledore shook his head and the little creature cocked his head, a big imaginary question mark above his head. 

"But then why is headmaster here?" and immediately after that: "Bad Flobby, bad Flobby, headmaster business none of Flobby's business. Bad Flobby!"

"It's all right Flobby. Actually, I'm here because I need your help with something. It's a very delicate situation so you have to promise me you won't tell anyone about this."

"Flobby promises, sir. Flobby would do anything for Professor Dumbledore. How can Flobby help you?"

A sad smile curved Dumbledore's lips. His fingers were still playing with the small vial. 

"Good... good, this vial contains the potion Evoke. It's a harmless potion but very affective for what I want to achieve with it. I want you to put one drop of this in each drink for Professor Heartilly. Now, you must never forget to do this, not unless I tell you otherwise."

"Flobby promises, sir. And Professor Dumbledore needn't worry. Flobby take care of everything. Professor Heartilly forget something?"

"Yes Flobby, indeed, she forgot something. Something of vital importance. 

But she doesn't know she has forgotten it. That's why she needs the potion. 

But Flobby, she must never know the potion came from me. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir. Flobby understands. Flobby will be very careful."

"Thank you. Good night, Flobby."

"Good night, sir."


	13. Interlude

This chapter follows the events (sort of) in the original book. Meaning the Hogsmeade weekend and Harry's conversation with Professor Lupin. Only in my story Lierin joins them.

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Chapter 13

Interlude

Ancient Magical Artifacts and Defence Against the Dark Arts had become most people's favourite class. Only Draco Malfoy and his gang of Slytherins had anything bad to say about Professor Heartilly and Professor Lupin. 

Draco just couldn't forgive Professor Heartilly the fact that she'd changed him into a crystal statue (he found out because the Gryffindors wouldn't let him hear the end of it) and he choose to forget the fact that the only one he could really blame for that was himself. Professor Lupin's main sin was the fact that he was as poor as a church mouse. No one else seemed to care though that Professor Lupin's robes were patched and frayed for his next few lessons were just as interesting as the first, and Professor Heartilly's lessons were just as exciting. 

Most students were fond of Care of Magical Creatures as well, after learning how to take care of Pearlypods they were spending their lessons on more interesting creatures. Harry, Ron and Hermione expected that Professor Heartilly had something to do with it, and they were grateful that Hagrid had decided to listen to her so he wouldn't confront them with some hideous creatures. 

Only Potions and Divination scored very low with the students. Potions of course wasn't a surprise, with the vindictive Potion Master and his vile nature. But who could have imagined that Divination wasn't very well liked by the students. Who wouldn't like to be able to predict the future? Actually, Harry, Ron and Hermione wouldn't. Hermione even went so far as to drop out of class. She thought it was a waste of her time since it wasn't an exact science and most of it was just guessing. Harry and Ron took a disliking to it because this year Professor Trelawney had chosen Harry as the student who would tragically die by the end of that year. Every class had one of those 'ill-fated' students, but none of those predictions ever came true. 

At the start of October, Professor Heartilly seemed very excited about the approaching Quidditch season and she had asked Oliver Wood, captain of the Gryffindor team, if it was okay that she would attend their training sessions. Of course Wood gladly obliged her. Though lately she hadn't been sleeping well at all- nightmares kept harassing her but she never could remember what they were about- this didn't prevent her from training with the Gryffindor students. 

It did require a lot of pain relieving potions though, because she couldn't fly one hour without tremendous bolts of pain shooting down her leg. But, sometimes- if her leg would allow her- she would even train with the team taking up her old position as a Chaser and she laughed when she heard the Weasley twins whisper that she was 'bloody brilliant' on a broomstick. Soon she spent a lot of her free time on teaching Alicia Spinnet, Angelina Johnson and Katie Bell her own invented '_Charging Bull_' manoeuvre. The excitement of it all pushed her fascination for Serena Romero and the Goblet of Might to the background. 

Oliver Wood was thrilled to say the least and he soon named the _Charging Bull_ their new secret weapon. 

But soon the students also had something else to look out for, their first Hogsmeade weekend was coming up together with the Halloween feast . Only teachers were allowed to go to Hogsmeade on a regular base, but for students it was a highlight in their school year. On Halloween morning Lierin paid a visit to Remus. She knew what Hogsmeade was all about and since she didn't need anything, she decided to spend some quality time with her 'brother'.

"You shouldn't be teasing Snape so much," said Remus with a twinkle in his eyes as he was looking at her stuffed vulture hat. When Lierin had found out about Neville's Boggart in her brother's class, she had erupted in a fit of laughter and had laughed for hours on end. She couldn't resist of course and didn't plan on letting Snape live through it. She had been shamelessly making fun of him by appearing at dinner with that dreadful hat a couple of times. Much to the amusement of the students of course.

"Oh come on Remus, the greasy git deserves it," said Lierin but she couldn't repress a blush staining her silky cheeks. Remus noticed and he smiled.

"Are you keeping something from me?" he asked inquisitively and Lierin broke their eye contact as she started to blush even more. Should she tell him? Should she tell Remus that a month ago she and Snape had kissed each other and that she didn't know how to deal with it? Or worse, should she tell Remus she was dreaming about Snape kissing her again....and again.....and again? It was all so very confusing, even for herself. 

When she had first come back to Hogwarts she had expected that she and Snape would continue in the same spiteful way as they had before, and at first they had. She couldn't deny however, that his lips placed on hers had felt deliriously good and that she very much wanted a continuation. And the evening he had told her about Serena Romero, he seemed so very vulnerable. Somehow it seemed as if she was suddenly much more aware of him. Whenever she was near him, she could feel the energy in his powerful, athletically built body that was intensely male. An intensity that was, for lack of another word, sexual. When he was near her, all of her senses were off beat and that was what unnerved her about him, his powerful sexuality and the effect that it had on her. No, he wasn't what you would call incredibly handsome, but there was something about him that attracted her to him like a moth to a flame, even though she was very well aware of the fate of a moth. 

She had always claimed him to be a stuffy, greasy git who never took the liberty of a refreshing shower, but now she noticed that his hair wasn't greasy because he didn't wash it, but that his hair was oily due to the damps of his potions which settled in his hair and skin while he taught Potions day in and day out. The same potions that gave him that incredibly masculine scent which made her senses twirl. 

"Now I definitely know you're keeping something from me," said Remus with a chuckle when he noticed that dreamy look in Lierin's eyes.

" Oh Remus, just let it rest okay?" said Lierin, obviously annoyed.

"Hmm, have you heard from Charlie lately?"

"What? Oh, no. Not recently." 

"So, I guess that means the goblet is still safe?"

Hearing him mention the goblet made Lierin grasp at her golden necklace. 

She pulled it out and watched the large ruby dangle at the chain. Funny how she hadn't thought about that dreadful thing for a while. That must be because of her sleeping problems and her 'issue' with Snape. She wondered if Dumbledore would allow her to stay at Hogwarts during the summer holiday because at this rate, it didn't seem likely that she would find the counterpart for the Goblet of Might before term was over.

"Yes, it's safe for now. Though Charlie did say that a young man was showing a peculiar interest in the goblet. According to him, this young man has visited the museum at least every day for weeks on end."

"Sssh, someone's out there!" Lierin didn't ask how Remus knew. He was a werewolf after all so he probably had better senses than her. 

"Harry?" Remus called and soon the small figure of Harry appeared at the threshold of his office, looking quite depressed and alone. 

"What are you doing? Where are Ron and Hermione?"

"Hogsmeade. Hello, Professor Heartilly," said Harry, in a would-be casual voice. Lierin smiled endearingly at him. 

"Why don't you come in? We were just about to enjoy a cup of tea. Can I interest you in a cup of tea as well?" Remus said, looking around for his kettle.

"All right," said Harry awkwardly. Remus tapped the kettle with his wand and a blast of steam issued suddenly from the spout.

"Sit down," Remus said, taking the lid off a dusty tin.

"I only have teabags I'm afraid- but I daresay you've had enough of tea leaves?"

Harry looked at Professor Lupin, whose eyes were twinkling and Professor Heartilly couldn't stifle a laughter.

"How did you know about Professor Trelawney's predictions?" Harry asked.

"Professor McGonagall told us at dinner," said Lierin as she took the liberty to pass Harry a chipped mug of tea.

"You're not worried, are you?"

"Ehm, no not really."

"Good, back in my old days at Hogwarts she was always predicting my death and since I never took her seriously, her predictions became more and more gruesome. I still have to get ripped apart by a werewolf," Lierin said cheerfully and for some reason that made Professor Lupin choke on his tea.

"You were a student at Hogwarts as well?" asked Harry.

"Certainly, and so was Professor Lupin. I graduated eight years ago, I was a Chaser in the Gryffindor Quidditch team you know."

"No wonder you are so great with a broomstick. Did you really invent the _Charging Bull_ yourself?"

"I guess, kind off. It was more of an accident really. I was flying straight towards the opposite Chaser, who was in possession of the Quaffle, I was merely trying to get her to chicken out on me, making her move out of my way but she didn't. So, we were about to collide when I tried to stand on the broom, I did that a lot in those days, Charlie called it 'broomsurfing'. Anyway, I was standing on the broom and decided to jump over the other Chaser, so when she was nearing on me, I kicked the broom forward, jumped over the Chaser and landed on my broom again. In the meanwhile, the broom had knocked the Quaffle right out of her hands and Charlie was able to snatch it out of the air. He named that manoeuvre the '_Charging Bull_' ever since."

"Wait a minute! You were in the Quidditch team with Charlie _Weasley_?" asked Harry in shock.

"The one and only. He was my best friend in those days, we were inseparable."

"I have to tell Ron!" said Harry, obviously impressed and he drank a bit of tea.

"Say hello to him then. Well Harry, it was great seeing you in a less formal way, but I really have to go now," said Lierin and she smiled warmly at him.

"If you need me, you know where to find me." Lierin said to Remus, who nodded indicating he understood what she was trying to tell him. No one but Remus knew about it, but Lierin had taken a liking to passing her time in the Owlry. Most of the time it was a peaceful place where she could marvel at the beauty of Hogwarts' surroundings. Ever since she didn't sleep well, she went up there trying to straighten her thoughts. She often thought about her life, about Remus, but also about Snape, why she was at Hogwarts and what would happen next. 

A tender friendship had built between her and an especially beautiful white snow owl. At one point in her visitations to the Owlry, the white female owl had decided to keep Lierin company whenever she seemed particularly sad and when she wasn't too tired from delivering letters. She was the only snow owl at Hogwarts and Lierin often wondered who she belonged too. She was easy to track when the owls came to deliver post to their owners, but the white female was lightning fast and was often gone again before Lierin could determine who her owner was. Though she was pretty sure that she belonged to a Gryffindor student.

Lierin got up and was about to open the door when the door opened for her. Snape came in, carrying a goblet, which was smoking faintly, and stopped when he noticed Lierin. An odd expression entered his eyes and it struck him again how beautiful she looked. He didn't want to, but his mind drifted away to the afternoon he had been so bold to kiss her, and she had kissed him back! Kissing her like that had completely unsettled him. He had never experienced such passion from just one kiss, never been attracted to any other woman with the intensity that he was attracted to Lierin. 

But it wasn't merely attraction. No, it went far beyond that. Yes, Lierin was a very beautiful young woman but there was something more. Maybe it was her spirit and how she challenged him? He didn't know and he certainly didn't dare to find out, for he was sure Lierin had just been caught up with the moment when she had kissed him because she couldn't be attracted to him, could she? Still he couldn't get rid of the feeling- no, the _knowledge_- that somehow Lierin belonged to him. Looking into the eternal depths of her eyes the thought occurred to him that a man could get lost in those eyes. HE could get lost. Forever. The sexual electricity between them crackled in the air now they were in the same vicinity as each other, but soon the spell was broken by Remus. Curse that man!

"Ah, Severus," said Remus, smiling, "Thank you very much. Could you leave it here on the desk for me?"

Snape walked passed Lierin, who took advantage of the situation to fled the room with flushed cheeks, and set the goblet down, his eyes wandering between Harry and Lupin. 

"I was just going to show Harry my Grindylow. I don't think we'll have much trouble with him, not after the Kappas," Remus said pleasantly, pointing at a tank with his slender hand, a tank that contained a sickly-green creature with sharp little horns and long, spindly fingers.

"Fascinating," said Snape, without taking the dignity to look at it.

"You should drink that directly, Lupin."

"Yes, yes, I will." Remus said.

"I made an entire cauldron full, in case you should need more."

"I think I should probably take it again tomorrow. Thank you very much, Severus."

"Not at all," said Snape while backing out of the room, unsmiling and watchful.

Remus didn't seem to notice and drank the potion. But Harry did notice the unpleasant look on Snape's face.

"Disgusting. Well Harry, I'd better get back to work. I'll see you at the feast later."

"Right. No wait. Uhm, could I ask you a question Professor? Do you remember that day we fought the Boggart?" started Harry, Remus smiled in understanding.


	14. Just a Kiss Away

Okay, a lot of romantic action in this chapter. WARNING THIS IS AN R RATED CHAPTER. IF YOU ARE NOT OLD ENOUGH/NOT ALLOWED TO READ THIS, SKIP THIS CHAPTER NOW.

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Chapter 14

Just a kiss away

That evening, right after the feast, something happened that made Lierin shiver. The Fat Lady, the guard to the hidden Gryffindor Tower, had vanished from her portrait, which had been slashed so viciously, that strips of the portrait littered the floor and great gobs of it had been torn away completely. Professor Dumbledore had sent all the students back to the Great Hall and he had put all the teachers on a wild goose chase through the castle on the look out for Sirius Black, for he was believed to be the assassin. 

The teachers had paired up and soon Lierin found herself searching the third floor with Severus Snape. They were taking the east wing while Remus and Professor McGonagall took the west wing. After the third floor Snape and Lierin searched the Owlery, Professor Trelawney's room and finally they made their way up to the Astronomy Tower. The round stairway was dimly lighted by several candles and Lierin could hear the black robes of Snape, who was in front of her, brushing at the steps. She decided that this situation called for his closeness, so she decided she wouldn't loose him out of her sight this time. Luckily, Snape didn't move so fast this time, so Lierin was easily able to keep up with him until they finally reached their destination. 

The room was pitch dark, she couldn't make out a thing from her surroundings and soon, when she had moved a few steps into the center of the room, she found herself to be completely alone. Severus was gone. Where the hell was he? Confused she tried to see though the dark but to no avail. A panic started to rise in her as she thought about a hundred gruesome possibilities, one even more gruesome than the other. What if Sirius Black was in this room? What if he had cursed Severus with the third unforgivable curse! She turned around a few times to look for Severus but it only got her more lost and in the end she couldn't even see the exit of the tower. She was about to cry out for Severus when a hand was placed over her mouth and she got pulled backwards causing her to fall against a muscular chest. She was about to put up a fight when the familiar scent and the funny jolt in her stomach assured her that it was Severus who was holding her and not Sirius Black. Her heart was hammering in her throat and she wondered what had gotten into Severus by startling her so. Soon she noticed a flapping noise and a shrill shriek, breaking the deadly silence, told her that a bat was finding his way out of the tower. 

She relaxed in Severus' arms and she allowed herself to lean back. 

"How are we going to find our way out of here? The lumos spell doesn't work in here."

"Damn, I forgot about that," said Snape, as he put his wand back up his sleeve.

"I never quite understood why Sinistra took that precaution." 

Lierin blushed as she remembered herself as a kid, distracting the professor together with Charlie in a darkened room by casting the lumos spell and adding two additional stars to the star constellations.

"We'll just have to find a wall and follow it all the way to the entrance."

Lierin nodded her head, what Snape couldn't see of course. She moved a few steps forward and she could hear him do the same. Assured by his presence Lierin stretched out her hands so she wouldn't stumble into anything. It didn't take her long to find a wall and Snape could hear her hands hitting something solid. The moment she touched the cold stone of the wall, Lierin remembered the feeling of a hard stone wall on her back. She tried to stop her mind from wondering off, this was hardly the time for fantasies, but she soon noticed that she wasn't the only one who remembered. 

Snape suddenly pinned her against the wall... again. His hands grabbed hers and forced them behind her back. She could feel the hardness of his muscular body pressing against her. His dark hair fell into her face as his head dipped with the intention to kiss her. Vaguely Snape knew he wasn't supposed to do this, that he was supposed to look for Black. But the memory of her warm inviting kisses drove his mind and body to these drastic manners. His mouth slanted over hers, hot and insistent, not gentle, he didn't want to be. He let his hands run up and down her body, caressing her hips and legs through the fabric of her robes and he quickly lifted her up, wrapping her legs around his waist. She could feel his firmness and power against her; it sent a thrill down her spine. He devoured her mouth and a low groan escaped from the back of his throat as she passionately kissed him back. He allowed her hands to escape from his firm grasp and hungrily Lierin slid her hands around his waist, feeling the taut muscles of his shoulders and back beneath her fingers, hard and firm. He moved his mouth from her lips to her cheek, her jaw and then trailed a path of hot burning kisses down the side of her neck making her gasp with pleasure. 

He moved his hand up her tunic and started to unbutton it as his trail of kisses found its it way to the hollow at the base of her throat and then over her collarbone to her shoulder where he slipped the tunic off her shoulder. His lips were hot on her skin and Lierin gripped his back harder to try and steady herself. His kisses were having a most profound effect on her senses as her entire body felt like it was on fire. She could hear herself moan as he became bolder and gently nipped her shoulder with his teeth. The sudden pressure of his hardness against her left her gasping for air, and so did the feeling of his hands slipping from where they held her around her waist to cup and caress one of her breasts through the fabric of her bra. Soon that wasn't enough though and his hand slipped underneath to caress her breast while he moved his kisses lower to her collarbone and from there to the hollow at the base of her throat. Lierin arched her neck and back toward him, silently inviting him to kiss and taste more of her. His hands slid down her sides from her breasts, over her tiny waist to grip her hips. His dark hair fell forward and tickled the smooth skin of her neck as he started to move his lower body against hers. Lierin could feel control slipping away from her and she threaded her fingers in his hair to press her body closer to his. 

Suddenly Severus realised what he was doing and what he probably was about to do. He stopped abruptly and pulled himself away from her, dropping Lierin to the ground, while he desperately tried to catch his breath. Confused Lierin tried to look up at him, but the sound of his footsteps fading away, accompanied with the brushing sound of his robes as they made contact with the floor, convinced her that he had left her alone this time. She could tell her cheeks were flushed, and wholly embarrassed Lierin adjusted her bra and buttoned up her tunic again with trembling fingers. She needed to steady herself against the wall, and she knew that this time _both_ her legs didn't have the strength to carry her weight. Slowly she followed the wall down to the left and after a few moments-which seemed like an eternity to her- she found the exit of the room and she hurried down the steps, ignoring the pain in her left leg. She hoped that Severus would inform Dumbledore that they hadn't been able to find Sirius Black because she hastily fled to her own tower thinking she'd never be able to face Severus Snape again.

The day of the first Quidditch match had finally arrived, but the weather didn't look very promising nor did Lierin's cloudy mood. Remus of course took her to the Quidditch pitch, their heads bowed against the savage wind. When they finally sat down, Remus shot worried glances sideways. Lierin hadn't been her cheerful self for some time now and he had hoped that the excitement of the match would get rid of her glum mood. After all, she had been working hard to train with the Gryffindor team and he had expected that she would at least be curious whether the _Charging Bull_ would be performed well or not. But now that she looked as if she wasn't even aware that a Quidditch match was about to take place, Remus really started to worry about her. Of course, there was still the threat of the Goblet of Might hanging over her head like Damocles' sword and there was also the Great Mystery of Hogwarts that at least involved himself and Lierin. 

"Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff. It promises to be an exciting game. Diggeroy's put a very strong side together plus he's an excellent Seeker, but does he have what it takes to beat Harry?" asked Remus while he looked at Lierin for her response.

"Hmm," was the only response he got from her and he noticed that her eyes kept flickering towards Snape more than was usual and he couldn't help but wonder what was going on between the two of them. 

As the Gryffindors and the Hufflepuffs entered the pitch, Remus decided he would let it rest for a while. The captains walked up to each other and shook hands. Remus could tell that Diggory smiled at Wood but Wood looked as if his jaw was glued together, and he barely nodded his head. Madam Hooch put her whistle to her lips and gave it a blast that sounded shrill and distant- they were off. 

The ugly weather hampered Remus's view and he could barely see much of the game, and he couldn't hear the commentary over the wind. He lost track of time looking for the Quaffle and the Bludgers and with the first flash of lightning he could hear the sound of Madam Hooch's whistle and he wondered who had called for the time out. Soon, however, the players were off again, and after a while Remus saw Diggeroy soaring up the pitch, speeding towards a tiny speck of gold shimmering in the rain-filled air. It didn't take Harry very long to notice what Diggeroy was up to and he threw himself flat to the broom handle and zoomed towards the Snitch.

"By Merlin's beard!" Lierin cried suddenly, "Look Remus, look!"

Remus pulled his gaze away from the racing Seekers and noticed what had scared Lierin so much. At least a hundred Dementors were standing below, their hidden faces pointing up at the two Seekers, and with horror in his eyes Remus saw Harry sliding of his broom and falling through the icy mist towards the ground. Suddenly a furious Dumbledore ran onto the pitch, waving his wand causing Harry to fall down in slow motion. He quickly got rid of the Dementors with what Remus expected to be the patronus spell and magicked Harry onto a stretcher. The entire Gryffindor team followed Dumbledore up to the school with Harry floating on the stretcher. The game was over and Hufflepuff had won the game. This was much to the dismay of Oliver Wood, since this year was his last chance to win the Quidditch cup, which had been won by Slytherin for the last seven years in a row since Charlie Weasley had left Hogwarts.

The days after the match, Lierin banned herself to her private quarters or the Owlry. She tried to withstand the looks of blame that Remus shot at her during the dinners and she knew that she had been shamelessly avoiding him. She just couldn't stand his inquisitive looks right now, not after what had happened between her and Snape.

Snape had gone back to his usual nasty demeanor and they hadn't said a civil word to each other since the 'incident' in the Astronomy Tower. 


	15. The Heist

The moment Lierin dreaded, the Goblet of Might was stolen out of the museum but slowly she and Remus come up with a possible idea to what's going on. Luckily they are not very far from the truth, it's actually a big part of it, but the complete puzzle is much, much worse.

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Chapter 15

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The Heist

Two weeks before the end of term with Christmas approaching (and still no further in solving the puzzle that was the Goblet of Might), Lierin knew she couldn't hide herself much longer. That fact, plus a very disturbing letter from Charlie, made her decide that she had to talk with Remus. As she had suspected, she found him in his office. When he looked up to see her enter his office, his eyes didn't show the usual warmth with which he used to greet her. 

"Ah, I was wondering if you had forgotten the way to my office," Remus sneered, and Lierin felt a guilty pang in her heart knowing that it had been wrong of her to neglect him in such a way. 

"I'm sorry Remus. Please don't be angry with me, I just had to sort out my own feelings for a while."

"I take this has something to do with Severus?" asked Remus, and Lierin didn't even bother to wonder how he knew. She realised that the only way Remus would allow her to make up with him, was by telling him the entire truth. She gulped at that thought. 

"Yes, it has something to do with Severus."

"So, what's going on between you two?" 

He was still angry with her, she could tell.

"To be honest Remus, I don't even know myself. You know how much we used to despise each other and how it continued from the day I started teaching here. Since my arrival he hasn't even been able to say one single polite word to me."

"But... "

"But... What can I say? Call it mutual attraction if you want. Don't even ask me why, he's not handsome. He's too pale, he's mean, he's cruel, his hair is oily and the thought of him alone can wake up students screaming in the night. 

He's a nightmare. He's a bully. He is...he is...he's."

"A disgusting heathen dog from Hades?" asked Remus, and this time he had to stifle a laugh as Lierin looked up at him in pure shock. 

"Don't you dare and tease me with that!"

Remus chuckled."Very well, let us drop the subject. There's something going on between you and Severus that you need to resolve on your own, but I take it you didn't come to me to discuss your love life."

A serious look appeared in Lierin's eyes and Remus dreaded the worst.

"No, I received a letter from Charlie. As we feared, the Goblet of Might was stolen just a few days ago. Probably by that suspicious young man who had such an interest in it. Oh Remus! I can't believe it; Charlie never let that damn thing out of his sight! How could it have been stolen so easily?"  


"Didn't Charlie say that the young man had visited the museum for weeks on end? Maybe he wasn't there for the goblet, maybe he was there to study Charlie's surveillance patterns. Snatching something from a Muggle museum is easy enough for a wizard, but stealing something from under the nose of another wizard is more tricky."

"Oh, I suppose you are right. Do you think that was the reason why Black was here? For the goblet? Maybe he thought I had it."

"Very unlikely. Besides, we have reasons to believe that Black is after Harry, he probably thinks that by killing Harry he'll bring Voldemort back."

"That's odd. Black is trying to get Voldemort back by trying to kill Harry, and now the goblet is stolen which can bring Voldemort back as well. But how can that be? Are there two servants of the Dark Lord on the loose? Two servants who are both trying to bring their master back without knowing about each other ?"

"I don't know... But if the goblet was indeed stolen by a servant of Voldemort, he still needs Nightfalls'Gain and the potion of spirits to activate its powers right?"

"Exactly," said Lierin and she pulled out her necklace, "That's why it is so important to find the counterpart before the Goblet of Might is activated. That way it will destroy the Goblet of Might but the opposite is possible too. The activation of the Goblet of Might could destroy its counterpart. That's why we HAVE to find the counterpart and activate it if we want to prevent Voldemort from becoming invincible."

"That puts you in a dangerous spot as well, Lierin. Now that the young man has the goblet, he needs the ruby as well and soon, or the goblet will destroy him."

"Yes, I know. Still, he'll need someone to concoct the potion of spirits. Unless, of course, he can make it himself. Although I doubt it. It would be too easy to track him down because there are only five wizards in England who can make that potion. Snape won't make it for the enemy so that brings us down to four."

Remus was quiet for a while. There were a few things that didn't add up, plus he wondered if he should tell Lierin that Severus used to be a death eater.

"Remus, now it's you who's keeping something from me. Come on, spill the beans, and tell me what's going on."

Remus had to laugh.

"It's just that... I don't know. I'm worried about _'Hogwart's Mystery'_."

"I know. You were right, it _is_ as if we are following a path that we have walked before, only we have no memory of it. As if something started years ago, and we are now noticing the effects. And whatever it is, it affects our entire view on life, our decisions, our actions, what we say and don't say... It's exactly like what you already told me." 

"Yes! Have you noticed that it's getting stronger?"

"Oh yes, I've noticed all right. Have you been having trouble sleeping as well?"

"No, not exactly but I do notice that I'm _forced_ to continue to hold a grudge against Snape, it's getting stronger but I'm trying hard to fight it. But how do you mean 'trouble sleeping'?"

"I'm not sure. It's just that... besides the visions, I see pages from a book in my dreams, but I can never read what they say. But somehow they look very familiar, as if they have no part of the other visions. It's like my mind is forcing me to remember something recent, something I saw or read a while back. I think it's important in some way but I just _can't remember_."

"So you have visions about your past life _and_ you have dreams about some book you might have read. That is weird. Do you think there's a connection?"

"A connection between what? The Goblet of Might and Hogwarts Mystery?"

"Maybe both. I mean, you come here to try and locate the counterpart for the Goblet of Might. About the same time we discover that something else, something extremely odd is going on that at least involves us, and maybe even Severus. Isn't that a bit too coincidental?"

"I suppose it is. Oh, let's drop it, it's giving me a headache!"

But Remus didn't seem to hear her.

"You know, that grudge between you and Snape, between Snape and me... 

It seems so silly sometimes, but still we go on and on without really knowing why. I mean, he can't forgive me for a prank that _Sirius_ pulled on him in our school days. That's what's keeping us from becoming civil with each other."

"What if you were also right about fighting certain 'urges'? Maybe that's why you can forgive Severus, even though it costs you a lot of effort, because you know that something or someone _doesn't_ want you to forgive him. Maybe that's also why Severus can't forgive you because he is convinced that the right thing for him to do is to hate you. But that would mean that he's involved too. It does make you wonder who else is involved."

"This may sound like a stretch, but what if we really _do_ have memories of other times? What if all of this really _did_ happen before?"

"Then we have to figure out _why_ this is all happening again, whether this is some sort of timeloop or not and what we have to do to break it, and if we can break it at all."

"Do you think we should tell Dumbledore?"

Lierin was silent for a moment; she seemed to ponder on that that thought for a while.

"Actually, I don't think we should burden him with this. He already has the safety of Harry to worry about, he has to keep the dementors in check especially since they were out of line for the second time, he has Sirius Black to worry about..."

"I suppose you are right about that. In the meantime, maybe we can figure out if there are other people beside us and Severus who seem to have these kind of déjà vu's."

"Right, and how do you want to approach them? It's a bit daft just to ask whether they think we're stuck in a time loop or not."

At that Remus had to chuckle."No, you are right again. Well, what do you suggest we do then?"

"Hmm, like I said, we need to determine why this is happening, but just as important, what magic is strong enough that let's us relive an entire era again?"

"In other words...?" asked Remus with a twinkle in his eyes, for he knew all too well the answer to this question.

"Research!" said Lierin cheerfully and she winked at Remus.

"Right you are then. Lierin, there was something else that I needed to talk to you about."

Lierin turned around with a concerned look in her eyes."What is it, Remus? Is something wrong?"

"Well, not necessarily so, but there's something you do need to know. Remember our conversation in the carriage, when we first arrived at Hogwart's? You told me about the goblet and Nightfall's Gain that you took with you."

"Yes, we also discussed why I brought it with me and that to activate the goblet one still needs the potion of spirits, Remus, we went through that already."

"I realise this, but there was something that I neglected to tell you. Something that has to do with Severus."

"With Severus? What about him?"

"You said that in England there are only five wizards alive advanced enough to brew the potion of spirits, one of them being Severus. Now, let us assume that the servant of Voldemort will want to persuade one of these Potion Masters to brew that potion instead of some foreign wizard."

"Yes?"

"I think it's very likely that the servant of Voldemort, be it Sirius or that young man, I think it's very likely that he'll want to persuade Severus in doing so."

"Severus? Remus, that's ridiculous. Just because Severus used to be a big old meanie back in your school days and continues being one today, doesn't mean that he'll brew that potion for the Dark Lord!"

"It's not as farfetched as you think, Lierin," said Remus quietly.

"Oh, and why not? Because he is a dark person and is very interested and skilled in the dark arts? Come on, Remus!"

"No, not because of that. But, Lierin, Severus used to be a deatheater."

Silence.

"A- a deatheater?"

"Yes, until he realised that he was throwing his life away for no better cause than the hunger for power of a madman. He returned to Hogwarts and fell into Dumbledore's good grace, and he has been the Potions Master ever since. He didn't become a teacher because he loves children so much, you know."

Lierin had turned a little pale. "It- it would explain his behaviour towards the students, wouldn't it? If it's true and he used to be a deatheater, he would be an outcast in society. No one would want to be linked with him or work with him. So, his only option for absolution would be to work for Dumbledore," Lierin said softly.

"I'm sorry, Lierin. I did mean to tell you sooner, but you were so worked up about the goblet, I didn't want to trouble you even further."

"That's quite all right, Remus. But do you honestly think that Severus will be a threat?"

"I'm not sure what to think. I'd like to think that Severus would use his common sense and steer away from obvious disaster. Then again, common sense has never been one of Severus' best character traits."

"I'm with you on that one." Lierin sighed deeply and stretched her arms.

"Luckily we still have Christmas to think about first and after that I promise to do some heavy research about the goblets and about time loops and time traveling. But first I tend to do a little snooping around about a former student I have a curious interest in. Does the name Serena Romero ring any bells with you?"

"Can't say it does, why do you ask?"

"Oh no reason, just something Severus said that I found to be very peculiar. Something that might explain a bit of his grudge towards Minerva and her students."

"Ha! Snape has _always_ held a grudge towards Gryffindors."

"Hmm, it still interests me though. There's just something about that girl that fascinates me and something what Severus told me about her struck me as odd."

"Well, have fun digging up her history, but don't forget about me this time!"

"Don't worry, I won't!" said Lierin and she gave him a small peck on his cheek before she left him alone with his thoughts.  



	16. The torments of Tantalus

Snape was one of the first to show up for breakfast the next morning.

A sardonic glare at each and everyone who approached the staff table was sufficient enough to save him from the bother of having to say good bloody morning to everyone. And where was Dumbledore to start the breakfast? 

He was getting hungry. The curious looks cast at him by a few early colleagues didn't improve things, he didn't care that even they noticed his particularly vile mood, they should mind their own bloody business. Why he was so angry? Because of Lierin... Lierin, Lierin, Lierin and bloody Remus... And McGonagall and Dumbledore and ALL of those pesky students. And it was his job to fill the thick empty skulls of those dunderheads with some _useful_ information. And that didn't include anything that had to do with Quidditch. But, he had to admit, he was the most angry with Lierin. Or _Professor Heartilly_ as Dumbledore insisted he'd call her. Hah! He'd be damned before he'd call her _that_! 

What had got into him to tell her about Serena Romero was beyond him. 

He wasn't his usual self lately and it was all because of _her_! Since she had arrived to teach at Hogwarts, his world had been flipped upside down. 

First she had got a bunch of dementors on her back and in return for saving her miserable life she just _had_ to mess up his Veritaserum. Of course he'd rather die before he'd tell anyone about the effects of the potion. He would be the only person to ever know, that Lierin had managed to alter his Veritaserum into some kind of mind-expanding drug. He had been more aware of his surroundings than he had ever been and in that state he hadn't been able to conclude his lesson. Infuriated, he had run off to confront Lierin about it and turbulent emotions had collided into a passionate confrontation that afternoon. But, of course, that wasn't enough for her. No, once she had decided to be a nuisance, she went all the way. He remembered that well from the days she was in his class. Since her arrival, he suddenly found himself in a roller coaster of emotion. One day he hated her, the next he felt very gracious towards her and the next day after that... he didn't even dare to trespass that field of emotional riot. He did know that at the moment he felt less than charitable towards her. He wouldn't let the fact that she had caught him with his guard down a couple of times bother him; it didn't mean he had changed. He was still Severus Snape, Potion Master supreme, the untouchable one. Determined not to let her get to him, Snape sat up straight in his chair and used his nastiest of glares just to convince everyone that he was still the same, that he hadn't changed a bit, even though he had acted a little out of character lately. 

"Good morning Severus, Filius, Minerva. I trust you all slept well?" sounded the cheerful voice of Lierin. 

Severus couldn't help but notice the funny jolt of pleasure in his stomach and that angered him even further.   


"Wonderful! Don't I feel like bloody Tantalus this morning!" 

Surprised, Lierin wheeled around to face Severus, as she had passed him to reach her seat next to him. She eyed him curiously and wondered what had got into him to cause this sudden burst of anger. After last night, she had truly believed they had moved on to a safer spot, that they had moved along to the line of civil politeness and past the line of childish remarks and sarcastic behaviour. 

"Come again?"

"Tantalus, Miss Heartilly. I trust that even you are familiar with this Muggle myth. Especially considering your field of expertise."

"Well yes, of course. But what does that myth have to do with me?"

Severus covered his face with his hand and he thoroughly wished he hadn't mentioned the subject. He had hoped for a quick attack and swift victory. 

He certainly didn't feel inclined to explain his verbal attack with colourful words and he wished he could just drop the subject. Unfortunately, Lierin didn't share his sentiment, as she was obviously still waiting for an answer. He sighed, deeply annoyed. 

"Because, Miss Heartilly, every time I think... hope that I'm able to reach my goal, which is peace and tranquillity in my life, you come swirling in like the proverbial wind and you sweep away the branches with fruit and you cause the water the seep away before I'm able to taste it's refreshing qualities."

Silence. 

Lierin thought of a way to strike back and suddenly it hit her and she had a hard time to refrain herself from laughing. "Thank you Severus, for that very... _colourful_ assessment. I'm pleased to know that I have such a large _impact_ on your view of life, though it grieves me to know that my impact on you causes you so much distress. Please forgive me and accept my most _sincere_ apologies. But in my defence, I must say that causing you any distress whatsoever _never_ lay in my intentions."

Every teacher in the Great Hall had stopped talking and they were all now looking at Severus, their mouths twisted in silent laughter as they witnessed how Severus Snape was put in his place by their youngest colleague. Every word of her 'apology' had dripped with sharp-edged sarcasm, shifting it into anything but an apology and now they were all waiting for Snape's reaction. Was he going to accept this? Was he really going to sit down and chew on this insult? But what else was there left for him to do? Of course, no one had counted on Snape's cunning mind and though this time he couldn't see a way to strike back, there was a way he could diminish his humiliation and her triumph, by nor accepting, nor declining her disguised insult. 

"Apology noted, now sit down and continue your breakfast." he hissed.

"Ah, but I haven't even started breakfast. Dumbledore isn't here yet, as you can see." retorted Lierin.

"Where _is_ that man for Merlin's sake!" 

Lierin sat down obediently while she winked at her colleagues. Silently she formed the words, "Barking dogs don't bite," but of course, Snape noticed.

"Be careful Miss Heartilly, for my bark may prove to be much worse than my bite," Snape purred using his silkiest of voices.

Right at that moment Lierin considered the fact for the first time, that something might be seriously wrong with her, because if she had to be honest, she loved it when Snape used that special voice with her. She would have loved to think some more about this exciting subject, but the entrance of Dumbledore prohibited any further speculations about 'the silkiest of all voices.'

After McGonagall opened the doors of the Great Hall for the students, breakfast was ready to begin. Once again the sound of clattering silverware filled the room. A few groggy students looked less than enthusiastic to commence their classes while others, like Miss Granger, were devouring breakfast while leafing through their study books as 'mental coaching' before class. Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley were two great examples of 'groggy students' who were less than thrilled for their upcoming lessons. One of those reasons happened to be, that their first lesson was taught by none other than the feared and hated Professor Snape. 

They had Potions with Slytherin, just to make things worse. 

After eating two slices of toast and a large goblet with chocolate milk and creme, Lierin cast a longing glance in the direction of Remus. She _so_ wanted to talk with him but she knew his first class were the second year Ravenclaw and Gryffindor students. Remus sensed that she was looking at him so he turned his head sideways and gave her an understanding smile. As he looked more closely at her, his eyes started to twinkle and he pointed his index finger to a spot right below his small but painfully straight nose. Lierin wiped her mouth with the back of her right hand and noticed the residue of the chocolate milk. She looked up at him and smirked, right about the same time that Dumbledore ended breakfast. 

The students either quietly walked or rushed out of the Great Hall, leaving the teachers behind, who stood up in a more distinguished manner to trade the warm cosiness of the Great Hall for their strictly run classrooms. Lierin quickly caught up with Remus to escort him to his classroom and after he closed the door to his class, Lierin found herself alone in the now abandoned hallways. She knew very well that she should return to her own class. Even though at the moment she didn't have to teach, she could always read through her schedule again and make sure everything was in order for her class. With a deep sigh she turned around and after a longing glance in the direction of the library, Lierin continued down the hall in the direction of her classroom. Serena Romero had to wait for a little while longer. 


	17. Musings

Snape was about to end this day's class for the third year Gryffindors and Slytherins. He was suffering from a splitting headache after that sorry little excuse for a student, Neville Longbottom, had managed to blow up his cauldron - again. With an exasperated sigh, Snape heaved himself to his feet to give his class their next assignments. And boy, they were in for some heavy duty ones, because at the moment he felt less than charitable towards his students. 

The Gryffindor students, relieved to no end that Potions class had was over, were already busy gathering their books and quills and some quickly shoved these items in their bags without ceremony. Obviously, they thought that they could diminish their amount of homework if they were able to quickly escape from his class. Well, they were wrong. About to give today's final verdict, Snape opened his mouth, but only too quickly shut it again when he saw Granger's desperate attempt to stuff her potions book back in her bag, along with all her other books, which no doubt - _no_ doubt, came from the library. But in her struggle to neatly organise all of her books, a little note escaped from one of her books. And Snape, with his sharp perception of even the smallest details, was able to translate her minute scribbling into a reminder to look up some more information about something called ... Scharear's fate and Achilles' Spear? 

Before Miss Granger had the chance to retrieve the stray note, Snape beat her to it by a hair and picked it up from the floor. Angry glances were cast at Hermione and she could feel the heat rising in her neck. It was common knowledge that Snape didn't think much of the newly adapted course at Hogwarts. She could almost feel that his eyes were cast upon her and involuntarily she shuddered under his inquisitive gaze. 

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? Retrieve information about Scharear's Fate and Achilles' Spear? What kind of nonsense is this? Is this what you have to learn in _Professor_ Heartilly's class?" 

The way Snape pronounced the noun _Professor_, showed his ridicule towards this - in his opinion - unworthy title. 

"Well, _class_, you can tell her, that as the head of Slytherin House, I will not allow my students to fill their heads with useless nonsense. You'd all do better to spend your time on a more useful subject. Like Potions or Defense against the Dark Arts. Or even Transfiguration, however useless that is, as well." 

Snape leered at his students and, satisfied, he watched his students cower away as he dismissed them. Relieved to no end that the torment was over, the students escaped from his class and hurried to the relative safety of Professor Heartilly's class. When his dungeon was his own again, Snape allowed himself to show any proof of a human nature and he gently stroked his temples with his long lean fingers to lessen his suffering. Damn that woman! 

What was she thinking anyway to teach such utter nonsense. No, what was Dumbledore thinking when he hired her? With thoughtful steps, Snape returned to his desk and opened one of his drawers. He rummaged through it's contents until he found what he was looking for - an old edition of_ Dark Matters_,written by Lierin Heartilly. 

To his own abomination, he had to admit that he had succumbed to his curiosity about Heartilly's "exciting books she has written during her travels all over the world" and he had bought one of her books in Hogsmeade. As an expert in the Dark Arts, he was curious about what she had to say in her book about "dark matters." He wasn't surprised to learn that the book was filled with nothing but myths and tales about 'lost' artifacts that in his vocabulary would be put under 'White Magic' rather than 'Black Magic'. Honestly, if Heartilly really meant to teach the students something that could help them in the process of growing up, she certainly had to teach them something useful. However, Snape had found himself enticed with a certain artifact that even he had thought to be a legend. 

But if it were nothing but a legend, how could it be that he was now staring at a picture of it?

The picture showed the artifact hovering in the embrace of its protection, 

a large wrought-iron spiral. It was the legendary knife of Bia, supposed to give it's owner protection, strength and health- if used correctly. Snape let his fingers lovingly caress the smooth surface of the picture in the book. He had to hand it to Heartilly, among the usual crap, she had actually found something of incredible value. The only thing that prevented him from running down to her and beg her on his knees to tell him were he could find that knife, was his pride. Suddenly Snape closed the book again with an aggravated sigh. He didn't need anything from her. She could keep her secret; he wasn't interested. He knew the knife existed, that was enough. And maybe, just maybe, if he could just find out where the knife was hidden, he would go after it during one of the holiday breaks. 

Curiously, Snape opened the book again, at the page with the picture of Bia's knife. He studied the picture thoughtfully and he couldn't help but think that somehow, somewhere, sometime, he had seen that knife, held that knife in his hand and used it… But how, where, when? A faint memory presented itself to him, someone handed him the knife and closed his fingers around it. He could still remember the sensation of holding the blade in his hands. The steel wasn't cold as you would expect, nor was it heavy. It just felt right. But before he could look up and see who this person was who gave him the knife, the memory fled from his mind and Snape shook his head wearily. That never could have happened. Snape furrowed his eyebrows, could it? 


	18. Crystal Dust

"What do you suppose is the matter between Professors Heartilly and Snape?" asked Ron Weasley while he, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger were on their way to Ancient Magical Artifacts.

"I mean, Professor McGonagall is the head of a competitive house. Snape indulging McGonagall is as likely as handing your belongings to a thief and waving him goodbye." 

"Snape would probably do just that, as long as he made sure it weren't _his_ belongings he handed to the thief," laughed Harry, "But about him and Professor Heartilly, I can honestly say that I don't have a clue. But it is showing isn't it? Why would he despise her so much? I mean, truth be told, Ancient Magical Artifacts isn't the most useful course in the world, but why should Snape care if we learn it or not?"

"I have no idea, but let's hush, we're almost there and we don't want Professor Heartilly to know we were talking about her and Snape. Remember the last time we were talking about a teacher and _he_ appeared right behind us? 

I, for one, don't care for a repetition of that incident. But we might want to try and find out something about them. Let's assume she went to Hogwarts when she was a student, I bet the library keeps the school records. Let's go there after diner." 

Hermione haughtily stuck up her chin and entered the class, leaving the two boys behind with a smirk on their face. They should have known that she would find some kind of an excuse to visit the library.

When all the students were in and had taken their seats, Lierin closed the door and walked towards her desk.

"Welcome class, please open your textbooks to page 98. Today we are going to take a deeper dive into the background story of Achilles' Spear. As you know, the Spear is supposed to give one tremendous powers, if used correctly. 

But what is Achilles' Spear exactly? Who made it and what was it used for? According to some very old sources, an ancient tribe with the power to summon entities from all kinds of elemental objects, created this spear to protect themselves against their enemies… Mr. Malfoy, do you care to explain why you are Not. Paying. Attention?" 

Lierin was annoyed, Draco plus at least five other Slytherins were staring into space with blank expressions on their faces. Draco's expression, however, changed into a diabolical sneer as soon as she mentioned his lack of interest, as if he had been waiting for that comment. Somehow Lierin felt as if she had fallen into a trap.

"Because what you teach is boring and utterly useless. I even regret having signed up for this course. If I had known that you would teach such nonsense, 

I never would have signed up. My father will be most disappointed if he finds out that the school has hired such an incompetent teacher." 

Lierin couldn't believe her ears. In her day, students had respect for their teachers. Where was the respect here? She was being ridiculed in her own class by a student! With open mouth she gaped at Draco, still not able to believe he had actually insulted a teacher. Yes, she knew she wasn't a real teacher but he didn't know that, at least he wasn't supposed to know that! And if he used such disrespectful words against her, what did he say to his other teachers, like Hagrid or Remus? Finally she realised that gaping at the blond brat was very un-teacherlike and she knew she had to settle the situation, otherwise the students would question her authority.

"Fine, then please be so kind to gather your stuff and leave this class. You're not welcome in this class anymore until you apologise. Report to Professor Snape and explain to him why you are banned from this class."

"Of course Professor Heartilly, but that won't do any good for you I'm afraid. You see, Professor Snape, a far more capable and intelligent teacher than you, agrees and he won't even allow us Slytherins to fill our heads with such 'useless nonsense' as he put it."

Lierin thought she would explode. Snape! It was always Snape! She hated that man! How dare he turn the students against her, to humiliate her and to undermine her position as a teacher at Hogwarts. Why, that little, slimy, pesky bastard! Humiliate her in front of her students? Ancient Magical Artifacts useless? Well, he'd witness first hand how 'useless' Ancient Magical Artifacts could be, for by Merlin, he didn't even began to grasp how 'useless' it could really be!

"Ancient Magical Artifacts useless? Well class, it seems to me that Mr. Malfoy and Professor Snape fail to see the advantages of using ancient relics, the heritage of our ancestors. To some point I can understand, now that we have only covered the theoretical aspects of the field, that you might doubt the advantage of learning about the great knowledge of the ancient times. But, you have all seen what can happen to you if you are careless with magical artifacts. Mind you, our ancestors weren't as stupid as you think they were. They survived the dark ages without all the knowledge about magic that we have today. You have seen what happened to Mr. Malfoy when he wanted to take the Spear out of its sheath. If I hadn't used the spellbreaker on him, Scharear's Fate would also have become Draco Malfoy's Fate. But I can see that Mr. Malfoy and Professor Snape need a little proof of how much power a relic can really give you." 

Lierin stopped and haughtily leered at her students, wholly insulted by their disrespect for the ancient relics. Some students anxiously wriggled in their seats. They all felt that the Professor, though she didn't openly showed it, was insulted to the bone because of Malfoy and Professor Snape. A few Gryffindors openly showed their disgust of the Slytherins and glared at Malfoy's back.

"If I were Professor Heartilly, I'd turn Malfoy right back into a crystal statue. He's so much more agreeable when he finally shuts up!" whispered Ron to Harry. Harry sniggered and nodded his head.

"Shh!" hissed Hermione, "She's really going to call upon the powers of Achille's Spear! Watch!"

Lierin continued. "Please, watch closely, stay calm, don't panic and whatever you do, don't...anger...the entity!" said Lierin in her most ominous voice, "And please, don't ever try this on your own until you are ready for it."

Lierin walked over to Scharear's Fate and she placed her fingertips on the top of the peacefully shining blue rod, without trying to pry it out of it's setting. 

The light began to shine more brightly and it seemed to flow right through her veins. All the students held their breath as the blue light seemed to engulf their teacher. Draco gulped as he expected that whatever was happening, it was powerful and highly dangerous. Their professor seemed to stay very calm under all of this, but in reality she trembled all over for she had never called upon the power of the crystal before. She knew what she had to do and what she had to say, but calling for an unknown force wasn't completely without risk. She had no idea what she was calling for and she had no idea whether what she was doing was dangerous or not. It was hardly the behaviour of a responsible professor, but Lierin was too angry, they had insulted her, her job, the biggest part of her life, and they dared to criticise the very person she had become. She merely wanted to show all of them that she hadn't wasted her life by chasing after rusty pieced of junk she wanted to show them the heritage of their ancestors and how they could use it to their benefit. Convinced that she wasn't doing anything wrong, Lierin spoke the words of an ancient language and she called forth the entity of the crystal.

"Cbayg du sa, cbayg du sa, ahdedo rettah eh dra lnocdym'c binedo. Dyga so vmacr, syga ed cdnuhg, du vyla so ahaseac yc E ku ymuhk. Ahdedo, ahdedo, huz eh baola, syga sa ehjehlepma mega Ylremmac."

"What is the professor saying?" asked Neville to Hermione, convinced that Hermione was the person to know with all book knowledge."

"I... I... have no idea. I don't understand a word of it," stammered Hermione, baffled that there was a language that she couldn't at least recognise.

A soft murmur spread through the class, a murmur that fell silent when the class witnessed the following events. A bright flash once again filled the classroom and even though their professor had warned them not to panic, several girls were frightened and screamed. The students covered their eyes for protection and when they noticed things had turned normal and quiet again, they cautiously removed their hands from their eyes. And when they did, they discovered that things had turned far from normal.

"Uhm, everyone?" came the small voice, again from Pansy, "Take a look at the professor."

With a bad feeling, the students turned their heads in the direction of where their teacher was supposed to be, and they found... a large crystal statue. 

"Oh no," cried Virgillius Flabber, a whimsical Slytherin boy who really should have been a Hufflepuff, had the Sorting Hat not discovered a trace of shadiness in his character traits. "We didn't do anything, this is not our fault. Oh, we are so going to be expelled for this!"

"Oh put a sock in it, Flabber! You really are a disgrace for Slytherin! This is all her own fault, she shouldn't mess with things she obviously has no understanding of." snapped Vince Vaughn, another Slytherin student.

"No, you shut up Vaughn! If Snape and Malfoy hadn't insulted the professor, she never would have done something like this!" yelled Ron.

"Oh really, and how about all the times she used _me_ as a guinea pig?" asked Malfoy with the same dawdling voice as ever.

"That was for the sake of our study, Malfoy!" hissed Hermione.

Soon all of the Slytherins and Gryffindors were engaged in a heated conflict and they found themselves on the brink of a huge fight. Harry Potter discovered how much rivalry really existed between the two houses and he soon noticed that things were about to get out of hand. A quick glance at the statue - still nothing was happening- and he made up his mind. The boy climbed atop of one of the desks to make himself noticed between the fighting students.

"Will you all just shut up for a moment?" yelled Harry, "In case you haven't noticed yet, we do have a situation here."

"And why on earth should we listen to you Potty?" cried Draco.

"Because he is right, you ignorant blathering mealy-mouth!" shrieked Hermione, 

"Oh do shut up that trap hole of yours, Granger!"

It really was amazing how fast things could go downhill when there wasn't a single teacher around. Harry raised his voice again to make himself heard, actually it was more like yelling.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"

This time the students actually bothered to listen. 

"Look, accidents happen, even in class, or maybe I should say especially in class. But we still need to solve this problem. None of us intended for this to happen and certainly not the professor. I suggest that one of us should go to Dumbledore to explain the situation. Maybe he knows how to change the professor back. Maybe Professor Snape or Professor Lupin can help. Heaven knows they are both familiar with the Dark Arts."

"Of course, you are right Harry," said Hermione. Professor Dumbledore will know what to do. Maybe I could go to the library and see if there are helpful books on this matter. That way we'll have all the information right at hand and Professor Dumbledore won't have to go and look for ...." 

"Uhm, guys? I... think that _something_ is happening..." said Neville and he pointed at the statue.

Harry turned around from atop the desk and his eyes were fixed on the statue, as were the eyes of all the other students. And Neville was right, something _was_ happening. A prismatic light emanated from deep within the statue and grew stronger and stronger. It shone so brightly that one could almost hear the light resonating through the room. The light beams grew more and more intense and caused the statue to tremble. A loud shattering noise put an end to the sound of the harmoniously resonating light beams as the statue erupted in a spray of small pieces of crystal. The students ducked to the ground to seek cover from the pieces but Harry was still standing on the desk. Luckily his instincts kicked in, and Harry hurled himself to the floor, elbow first, and with his eyes wincing against the tiny pieces of crystal. In the process his robes became torn by the flying pieces of crystal and he received some cuts on his hands, back and face. 

Covered with crystal dust, Harry panted for breath and carefully he lifted his head causing some of the crystal dust to fall down. He squinted his eyes and he tried to focus, the statue was gone. Harry let his head drop down to his arm again and heaved. Suddenly his brain registered footsteps, only the sound of the footsteps was accompanied by the sound of glass chiming together. It was as if someone was carrying a large crystal chandelier. The sound stopped right in front of him and with a bad feeling in his stomach, Harry lifted his head again. The first thing he noticed were two bare female feet decorated with anklets, but they were blue. His gaze travelled upwards to a pair of long well shaped legs, only the legs were coloured light purple. Harry looked down again and noticed that the feet and legs were decorated in a blue-purple design that, as his gaze travelled further up again, seemed to cover the entire body. Harry allowed himself to have eye contact with the person in front of him, and his mouth dropped open in astonishment, because standing in front of him... was _Professor Heartilly! _

"Professor?" stammered Harry. Behind him, the other students finally dared to look, as well, and they were as stunned as he was. Obviously, the woman standing in front of them was Professor Heartilly, but... her appearance had changed... drastically. Her body was completely light blue-lilac, except for the deep blue design patches that covered her feet and partly her thighs. She was dressed in very... exotic... clothing, and much more revealing than the conservative board of the school would have liked. Her only means of clothing were sexy tight panties and a bra. As well the panties as the bra were of a deep marine blue colour and were decorated with complicated stitched patterns. Loose ornaments were attached to the bra and seemed glued to both the sides of Professor Heartilly. A very sexy translucent multi-coloured shawl was tucked behind the waistband of the panties and hung loosely around her right hip, giving Professor Heartilly a very Indian harem girl look. Her hands were stuck in deep purple short gloves, leaving her fingers bare, and just above the gloves, yellow silk ribbons were wound around her arm with a little crystal ornament dangling at both ends of the ribbons. Her otherwise blond hair, now had the deepest shade of blue that Harry had ever seen, and was pulled back in several thick luscious braids, with yellow ribbons wounded around the ends of the braids. The braids were also decorated with crystal ornaments, Harry had heard them chiming against each other with every step she had taken. 

"Professor?" Harry stammered again, complete at a loss.

Lierin looked down at him with a haughty but not unfriendly look in her eyes, though there certainly was a trace of rage detectable in the flickering of her almost translucent, crystal coloured eyes. 

"E ys Crejy, dra ahdedo uv dra lnocdym, lnaydat po dra hupma Ym Prat." Lierin said in the same foreign language as she had spoken the words of the calling.

Harry could only stare at her. He was flabbergasted and found no words to say. Behind him he heard a stirring and the sound of robes being dusted off, within a few seconds Hermione was standing next to him. 

"Hello, my name is Hermione Granger and this is Harry Potter," said Hermione while she pointed at herself and Harry.

"Hermione Granger. Harry Potter," she repeated while she pointed at herself and Harry again.

"And you are...?"

Lierin cocked her head and it seemed as if she were pondering on something.

"E ys Crejy. Huz, dyga sa du dra syh lommat Cajanic Chyba."

"What do you think she's saying?" asked Harry.

"I have no idea, Harry. Cajanic Chyba?"

Professor Heartilly nodded her head with fervour. "Cajanic Chyba," she repeated.

Harry and Hermione looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders.

"I'm sorry," Hermione said, "But I really have no idea what you are saying. Cajanic Chyba, is that your name? I'm truly sorry, but..."

Professor Heartilly shook her braids backward in an agitated manner and she sighed exasperatedly.

"Jano zamm, E'mm veht res socamv. Uid uv so zy!" 

And with those words Professor Heartilly left the terrified students behind in her classroom. Harry and Hermione could only stare at the doorway. When the professor was gone the students got a grip of themselves again and a loud whispering was heard in the class. It mostly concerned Harry and Hermione and how brave they were, but of course, the Slytherins were gossiping about the professor and how irresponsible her behaviour had been. Only Malfoy was awfully quiet, he felt ashamed that he had cowered away and that he had thus given Harry Potter a new reason to be called a "hero" Harry paid no attention to the admiration of his fellow students; this was a time for action, not idol chit-chat. He would not stand to loose more precious time for no better cause than his own vanity. 

"Hermione, you go and inform professor Dumbledore or otherwise Professor McGonagall. Ron, you go with me and follow Professor Heartilly, or what's left of her, anyway. I think she's out for revenge." 

Malfoy could stand it no longer. He hated how Potter always seemed to be one step ahead of him and how he _always_ got the attention while he, Draco, was the one who deserved it. He was a member of one of the most distinguished wizarding families in England, damn it!

"Revenge, Potter?" 

Harry turned around surprised and found himself looking in the mocking eyes of Malfoy. 

"Yes, revenge Malfoy. Don't you ever pay attention in class?"

"In Heartilly's class? I try not to." snorted Malfoy. 

"Well, if you had, you would have heard Professor Heartilly say that Achille's Spear was created by a tribe that had the ability to call upon entities to protect themselves. So, that's why the entity has taken over her body, to protect her from her enemies." 

"And who do you suppose is her enemy, oh great and all-knowing Mr. Potty?"

"You really don't pay attention, do you Malfoy! If you just try and remember, you upset the professor earlier by humiliating her in front of students. _You_, she could have handled, but you involved the one man she hates most in this school, and if you had paid attention, you would have known who that is."

"It's Professor Snape, Malfoy, in case you hadn't figured it out yet." said Ron smugly and with great pride at Harry, because he hadn't made that connection either.

"Professor Snape?" asked Malfoy surprised, but he had to admit, it sounded plausible.

"Yes, remember that Professor Heartilly mentioned 'Cajanic Chyba?'" 

"Yes...Well?"

"Well? Well? Cajanic Chyba must have meant..."

__

"Severus Snape!" said Harry and Ron in union.

"Come on, let's go to the dungeons. Hermione?" 

"Yes, all right. I know. I'll go and inform Professor Dumbledore. 

And off they went. 

Special note from the author: the above chapter is almost completely based on the game Final Fantasy X. Square owns FF, I don't. This piece of fanfiction is only intended for fun. What's based on FFX? Crejy is (Al Bhed language for Shiva). I'm also using Shiva's overdrive Diamond Dust in the next chapter. The words used to summon Crejy are also in Al Bhed. If you want to know what it means, you'll just have to find the Al Bhed alfabet on the net. If you don't want to go through that much trouble, leave me reviews that you want to know the meaning of the words and in the next chapters I will add a translation. Thank you all for the nice reviews!


	19. Overdrive

Crejy stalked down the corridors. Her braids waftly followed her every movement, causing the crystal ornaments to chime happily. Somehow she knew exactly where she was going, and what her goal was. But the surroundings! They were so strange, and yet at the same time, so very familiar.  
  
Peeves, the Poltergeist, was up to his usual mischief again, and he started to sing one of his obnoxious little songs until he realised that something was definately out of the ordinary.  
  
"Crazy Heartilly? That you? What did you do? Fall into a huge inkpot? Hey, you look so... cool!" Peeves cackled loudly at his own joke.  
  
Crejy turned around. Somehow she seemed to remember this vermin, and gradually she remembered fragments of past insults to Lierin, her summoner. He was an enemy. A cool gaze was fixed on Peeves, and even though he was a Poltergeist, even though he wasn't even a real ghost, he could still sense that things were about to go horribly wrong for him.  
  
"What are you doing, Heartilly? Surely you can take a joke?"asked Peeves nervously.  
  
Crejy whirled around and kissed the fingertips of her right hand and she blew the kiss to Peeves. He tried to yell for help, but it was too late. Thousands and thousands of tiny crystal particles wafted towards him and stuck to his ghostly body, changing him too into a crystal statue. Gravity did its work and the crystallised Peeves plunged to the ground, exploding into a cloud of crystal particles and crystal dust.  
  
"Hmpf."  
  
Crejy walked away, unaware of the three teenagers who had watched the entire scene with horror.  
  
"Did you see that?" whispered Ron quite loud, "She killed Peeves!"  
  
"Will you hush up, loudmouth? Do you want to end up like Peeves? Shattered into a million itty bitty pieces? Besides, she couldn't have killed Peeves because he was already dead," whispered Hermione, also quite loud.  
  
"Then what do you call that!" Ron raised his voice even further.  
  
"A slight mishap!"  
  
"Guys, will you cut it out!" intervened Harry, "Ron, we need to get to the dungeons fast, Hermione, hurry up and go and see Dumbledore!"  
  
Hermione nodded and took off at a run. Harry and Ron watched her go and then looked at each other. Ron gulped nervously.  
  
"Our turn?"  
  
"Yes Ron, our turn. Now, let's go. I found a shortcut on the Marauder's map that your brothers gave to me a while back. Let us hope that Professor Heartilly doesn't know about that one. We have to reach the dungeons before she does," said Harry while he watched the transformed professor disappear out of sight.  
  
The two boys hurried down the same hall and turned around the same corner. Professor Heartilly came in sight again. Luckily she took the straight hallway to the dungeons. Harry sighed with relief, and hurried to a small statue of a friendly but ugly looking witch. He pulled her wand down and the statue moved back, revealing a dark staircase leading deep down underground. Ron gulped again.  
  
"Do we really have to go down there?" he asked with a squeaky voice.  
  
"Yes, come on, Ron, don't panic on me now."  
  
"Ooh," moaned Ron. But he hurried down the steps and followed Harry through the darkest and creepiest tunnel he had ever been in. Both the kids set off at a run, careful not to trip during their pursuit. It was a long hallway, but straight, while the normal way to the dungeons was full of curves, turns and staircases. Finally they reached a dead end. A little out of breath Ron tried to look at Harry, in silent wonder what to do next. A little unsure of that himself, Harry looked around to see what possibilities they had. Unable to see further than just a few feet, Harry took out his wand and cast the Lumos spell. A faint light spread around him and cast it's rays on his surroundings.  
  
"Harry, look at this!" came the excited yet scared voice of Ron. Harry hurried over to him and he too noticed the wobbly stone set in the wall. He pushed the stone backwards and a loud rumbling noise filled the tunnel soon to be followed by bright rays of light. There was a secret door! Harry looked at Ron, and Ron looked back at him. They both nodded at the same time and hurried to the door. They hustled through and Harry closed the door behind them and looked around. He noticed that they were right next to the staircase that led to Snape's dungeons.  
  
"Where do you think she is, Harry?" asked Ron nervously.  
  
"I don't know. I'm not even sure if we beat her to it. She was walking pretty fast."  
  
Harry glanced around but he froze as he heard that tingling sound again. The crystal ornaments! She was right behind them.  
  
"Move, Ron move! She's right behind us!" Harry practically pushed Ron down the moulded stone steps. Ron cried out in panic as he stormed down the steps all the way down to the massive oak door. He flung it open and burst through.  
  
Snape got up from behind his desk as fast as lightning, tossing back a lock of raven black hair in the motion. His eyes were sparkling with barely suppressed anger. The seventh year Ravenclaws and Gryffindors turned back in their seats to watch a pale and out of breath Ron Weasley, desperately trying to catch his breath. If they weren't surprised at that, they were when Harry Potter entered the dungeon, closed the massive door behind him and leaned against it. Harry ignored the surprised looks that were cast at him; he stared directly into Snape's raging eyes.  
  
"She's coming, Professor Snape, and she's really ticked off!"  
  
"Who's coming Potter? And be quick about it because the only thing standing between you and me cursing you straight back to Little Whining, is my curiosity as to why you are interrupting my class acting as if you are being chased down by a mountain troll."  
  
"Not by a mountain troll sir, by Professor Heartilly. Only, it's not really her..."  
  
Snape interupted him.  
  
"Potter, don't try my patience, you'll find yourself sorely disappointed. What do you mean with Professor Heartilly, only not really her?"  
  
"Well, there was this accident in Ancient Magical Artifacts..."  
  
"Now there's a surprise," said Snape unpleasantly.  
  
"Please sir, there isn't time... Malfoy disobeyed her in class, he refused to pay attention and...."  
  
"Yes, well that was my advice now wasn't it? To spend your time on more useful matters. If that will be all..."  
  
"Professor Snape, will you please let me finish one bloody sentence!"  
  
Silence fell in the dungeon. Every student knew Harry had committed a capital crime. Sentence: death. Harry too realised what he had said and found himself at a loss for words to apologise. But before Snape could say or do anything, Ron turned white as a sheet.  
  
"Too late. She's here," whispered Ron and he backed away from the door. Harry followed his example. They had tried to warn the professor, he didn't want to listen. It was out of their hands now and the only sensible thing to do was to get out of harms way. If that were possible.  
  
Snape tried to figure out why the two boys were so terrified. Surely it couldn't be just because Heartilly was angry with them. No, she would be angry with Malfoy if he had really ignored her and refused to pay attention. Then why could she be on her way to him and why did that terrify the boys? Unless Malfoy had bragged about him forbidding them to waste their time on her class, she had no reason to go after him. Well then, that must be it. She heard that from Malfoy and now she wanted revenge. Again he wondered why that scared Potter and Weasley. What was it they had said about Heartilly not being her usual self? He didn't get much time to ponder on that thought as his mind registered the soft sound of chiming bells. What in Merlin's sake...? Suddenly the massive door turned into crystal and crumpled down to the floor into small pieces of crystal. Standing in the doorway with blazing eyes was...  
  
"Crejy?"  
  
The name escaped his lips before he even knew he was going to say it. With a stunned look on his face, Snape watched Heartilly enter his class. He didn't know what surprised him more, that Heartilly had destroyed the door of his class, that she was standing here in his class dressed in nothing else but blue underwear with a skin coloured in icy blue and purple colours, or that he had known exactly what to call her the second he first he laid his eyes on her in this state.  
  
Crejy cocked her head and stared at him.  
  
"Cajanic Chyba, vaam so znydr!"  
  
Snape could only stare at her. The language sounded vaguely familiar, he knew he had heard it somewhere before. Maybe the same place where he picked up that foreign name? Not very likely, he couldn't remember anything related to that name or language, he only knew -or thought- that it sounded awfully familiar to him. Whatever she had just said, from the tone he did understand that she was angry with him, possibly even threatening him.  
  
"Heartilly, please speak civilised English in this class. Surely that can't be too hard for you to do," said Snape in his trademark silky voice.  
  
Crejy kept staring at him with that haughty look in her eyes while she carefully advanced on him. Snape's eyes lost their fixed mark on her eyes and ventured down her body. A funny jolt in his stomach made him realise that not only his mind, but also his body had noticed perfectly curved body. She approached him at a tantalising leisurely pace, her hips rocking in an ever so sensual way. With each step she took, small delicate crystal ornaments at the ends of ribbons around her arms and in her hair chimed together in a cheerful matter. With her every movement, Snape's lower region reacted to the mesmerising quality of her gently rocking hips and her lightly dangling bosom. Each step wove a powerful magical spell around them, making Snape completely oblivious of his surroundings, and they drove him further to the edge of madness. By the time she was finally standing in front of him, within an arms reach, his body was screaming for relief. A look of playful and knowing mischief was playing with the light caught in her crystalline eyes as she moulded her body against his. Her hands snaked up to his torso playing with the taught muscles of his chest. Snape realised she was seducing him for some reason, but he didn't care. He lowered his head to gaze deeper into those enchanting eyes and he sighed in relief as his lips finally caught hers in a passionate kiss.  
  
Crejy's right hand snaked through Snape's hair and pulled his head closer to deepen their kiss. Snape found himself delighted by this, and emboldened by her less then shy actions, he allowed his hands to follow every curve of her body. Crejy smiled at her success through the union of their lips.  
  
The students witnessed this shockingly erotic scene, and Ron and Harry could feel the heat rising in their cheeks. Most female students found themselves repulsed by this shameless exchange of saliva, probably because they couldn't understand Heartilly's choice of mate. The male population of the class however, found themselves highly aroused, because the limited clothing of Heartilly didn't leave much for the imagination, and now that Heartilly's graceless limp was gone, she was a knock-out!  
  
Crejy had to admit, she thoroughly enjoyed Snape's kisses and caresses. Then again, Snape or Tyng Saccahkan -the entity of the shadows- as she used to know him, had always been an excellent lover. She didn't quite understand why her host was now feeling so hostile towards him, because she could distinctively remember their shared intimacy in the early years of this place, when their hosts summoned their powers to defeat the enemies who opposed this place of education. But Crejy was summoned ; she had to do her job. Hmm, his kisses were nice though. Too bad that her's were lethal. Snape, completely oblivious to the blue vapour that he inhaled from Crejy's every breath, pressed her against his desk and pushed her down. His mouth traveled from her luscious lips to the nape of her neck and all the way down, as Crejy slid further down his desk. A mischievous and ominous smile curved her lips as Crejy reached down below her trying to place her hands on the floor beneath. She allowed herself to enjoy one more kiss on her tight belly, and then she swooped up her legs, knocking Snape backwards as she flipped herself over the desk and landed on her feet right in front of it. She faced Snape and she noticed the first traces of her poisonous kisses already. His lips were turning blue and he started to shiver. The veins in his body and face started to swell and also turned blue. A cry escaped from his poisoned lips and Snape's body slumped against the desk where he writhed in pain and anguish. His eyes rolled backwards and he gasped for air. With the last ounce of his will and strength, Snape cast his eyes on Crejy.  
  
"W-hat ... h-have...y-you... d-done... t-to... m-me?" asked Snape with a quivering voice that he couldn't keep the pain from.  
  
Crejy turned around without indulging him and meant to leave the dungeons. She was going to the room where her heart was kept. To the room where her host kept Achille's Spear. She looked up when she heard the sound of running feet and soon Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall came rushing in. Professor Dumbledore needed only a single glance to comprehend the situation, well most of it anyway. McGonagall however, was appalled by the entire ordeal; one look at Professor Snape suggested that he was just an inch from dying!  
  
"By Merlin's beard!" cried McGonagall. "What on earth is the meaning of this?"  
  
Dumbledore said nothing, and a dark look appeared in his otherwise twinkling eyes. He had indulged Lierin enough. He would not stand and let her thoughtlessly put the children's lives in jeopardy.  
  
"You have gone far enough, Lierin. I'm afraid I can't let you go any further!"  
  
Dumbledore took out his ancient wand, he wasn't sure what to do about the situation on hand, but he had to refrain Lierin from further injuring one of the teachers, or -heaven forbid- one of the students. McGonagall also drew her wand, but she was less careful than Dumbledore. Determined to put an end to Lierin's thoughtless behaviour, McGonagall wanted to cast the petrifying spell on her. With Lierin petrified, they could use their valuable time to think of a solution. Unfortunately, she didn't think about what might happen if she cast the spell and Lierin would prove to be immune for all "common" magic.  
  
"No, Minerva, don't..." started Dumbledore as he noticed what McGonagall was about to do, but he was too late.  
  
"Petrificus Totalis!" said McGonagall, and she pointed her wand at Lierin.  
  
Crejy just smiled, stretched her arm out and blocked the spell with her right hand. The air around her sizzled and soft shimmering remains of the blocked spell drifted to the ground. McGonagall turned white as a sheet as she realised that she didn't have Lierin in front of her, but some kind of goddess or other entity, and she had just tried to curse her.  
  
"Please, don't harm us. We only wanted to protect the children. Think about what would happen to them if you dispose of us," McGonagall pleaded.  
  
Crejy only smiled cruelly. She kissed the fingertips of her right hand and swirled around on her heels, creating some kind of force field around her by touching the air with her fingertips. It was beautiful and scary at the same time. It was as if they were looking at...eternity. The rest seemed to happen in a blur of motions and colours, at least from Dumbledores and McGonagalls point of view. The remaining students in the dungeons, and Professor Snape, had a great view on what was happening.  
  
Crejy placed the palm of her hands together right in front of her ; she then spread her arms and moved them upwards until she placed the palm of her hands together again above her head. She had redirected the streams of the force field into the form of a large sphere. She thrust her hands forward and released the power of the force field by directing it towards Dumbledore and McGonagall through her own body. Crejy didn't have the pleasure to hear them begging for mercy, it happened too fast for them to even try. The burst of energy hit the two professors with the strength and speed of an avalanche, and slowly every particle of their bodies turned into crystal.  
  
In shock, the students saw their professor plus the headmaster turn into crystal statues. Harry and Ron finally got a grasp of how powerful Achille's Spear really was. And Snape, as he could feel his lifeforce drain away, finally realised how much pain and humiliation he had caused Lierin that she would be so desperate to release such a powerful creature just to prove herself to him.  
  
But it wasn't over yet. Not by a long shot.  
  
Satisfied, Crejy admired her work, much like an artist would his admire his masterpiece, but in the end, she didn't seem to like it. Again, she stretched her arm but this time she snapped her fingers to get rid of the rubbish. That one snap of her fingers, however normal that gesture might be for mortals, proved to be very lethal for Dumbledore and McGonagall. The statues exploded in a burst of crystal pieces and the students had to take cover to avoid getting cut by the flying pieces of crystal.  
  
Panic broke out among the students when seeing the shattered remains of their teachers. Snape let out a grunt of pain and despair and let his head rest on the desk. It was all his fault. If he hadn't provoked Heartilly, if he hadn't pushed her to her limit...  
  
Crejy eyed the terrified students, and as they seemed to be of no threat to her, she started to leave the dungeons. Turning around, Crejy allowed Harry and Ron full view of her back and a peculiar flesh-coloured spot was seen on her heel. Harry grabbed Ron by his upper arm.  
  
"Ron, look!" whispered Harry excitedly. Ron did as he was asked, but he couldn't find anything out of the ordinary.  
  
"Remember what Professor Heartilly told us? About Scharear's fate or Achilles' Spear?"  
  
"So? What about it?"  
  
"Honestly Ron, surely you know something about Greek Mythology? Didn't you ever wonder why the spear was called Achilles' Spear?"  
  
"Harry, this isn't the time to give history lessons. Just cut to the chase and tell me what you are trying to say."  
  
"Achilles was born a very weak child. To protect him, his mother bathed him in the sacred river Styx to make him invincible, but the only place that hadn't been blessed by the water, was his right heel because his mother had been holding him there. Thus Achilles only had one weakness, his right heel. Look at the professor, look at her right heel!"  
  
Ron looked again and then he too discovered Crejy's only known weak spot. He nodded in understanding.  
  
"Okay, so now we know she has a weakness. What do we do to use that against her?"  
  
"You distract the Professor, or whoever she is now, I'll try and see if Professor Snape is able to tell me if he has a potion in his personal cabinet that can inflict maximum damage. We are in no way advanced enough in Defense against the Dark Arts or Charms to hit her with a powerful enough spell."  
  
"Got it."  
  
Ron took off after Crejy to stop her from reaching her resting place while Harry hustled to the desk were Snape was still lying, his head still resting on his arms. Snape was awfully still and quiet, so Harry feared the worst. When Harry reached the desk, he carefully touched Professor Snape's shoulder and gently shook him. No reaction.  
  
"Professor Snape, can you hear me?" said Harry loudly. The other students watched him and seemed very uncertain. A few girls were crying, they wanted to get away but they were too afraid to run into Professor Heartilly in one of the hallways.  
  
Snape stirred and slowly he opened his eyes. His ragged breathing suggested that this was a hard and painful process for him. He tried to focus on Harry and seemed angry with him for disturbing him even in his hour of death.  
  
"Professor Snape, sir. I need your help. I think I know a way to stop Professor Heartilly, but like I said, I need your help. Can you help me?"  
  
Snape raised his eyebrow and a condescending look appeared in his breaking eyes. He was obviously trying to tell Harry that in this position he couldn't possibly be of much help. Even when dying Snape was still the same mean old bastard.  
  
"You only need to tell me if you have a potion that inflicts serious damage when you throw it. Like a liquid bomb or something like that."  
  
Snape closed his eyes for a moment and seemed to think about it, but it took him so long to open his eyes again that Harry was afraid that he would die before he could tell him what he needed to know. But Snape was a tough one, he opened his eyes once more and his blue ragged lips tried to form four words. Harry didn't understand at first, but Snape repeated it again. Harry focused hard and followed every movement of Snape's lips until they finally stopped moving. Harry swallowed hard and looked into Snape's blank eyes. As a token of respect for the dead, Harry closed Snape's eyes and then hurried to the cabinet. He ignored the horrified cries of a few students, because in Snape's last attempt, Harry had finally understood.  
  
Top shelf, ninth bottle. That's what Snape had been trying to tell him. He grabbed a small wooden stool and climbed on it. Top shelf, ninth bottle. His fingers gingerly touched every bottle while counting until they hovered in front of the ninth. It was just a small bottle, covered in dust and cobwebs, and filled with a suspicious looking yellow greenish substance. The bottle wasn't labelled, but maybe that was for a good reason. Harry didn't think twice, and grabbed the bottle and hurried back to the dungeons where they used to have potions. A sudden feeling of nausea hit him when he saw the dead professor lying on his desk. It didn't help either that in his pursuit he almost stepped on the crystallised face of Professor McGonagall. He only hesitated for a moment but then Harry did leave the dungeons. The other students watched him go away and frantic to leave that horrible place, they followed him, seeing him as some kind of spiritual leader now that the Headmaster, the Deputy Mistress and their Potions professor were gone. Harry paid no attention to them and tried to find the secret door that would lead straight back to the statue of the friendly witch near Professor Heartilly's class. But Fortuna didn't look kindly upon him, as he couldn't find any trace of the trapdoor. He sighed deeply and took off at a run. There was no time to loose. The seventh year students who had followed him out of the dungeons found themselves at an imaginary crossroads. They could find the relative safety of their Common rooms, or they could follow Harry. Most girls sought comfort with each other and obviously decided to go to their Common room. They were near graduation but the school had always been a safe harbour for them, never could they have guessed that they would get acquainted with the real world so fast. The braver students decided to follow Harry. The Headmaster and the Deputy Mistress were both dead. It wasn't very likely that, if they would go to the Common room, a new Headmaster would give them a notice that everything was safe again. So, they would just follow Harry and contemplate the events from there.  
  
Harry ran down the hallways like crazy, but halfway down he was met by a high shriek of anger and the screaming of a terrified young man. Ron! If possible, Harry started to run faster while ignoring the stabbing jolts of pain in his side. The screaming got louder and vaguely Harry could hear his best friend's footsteps echoing against the walls. One hallway, a curve, another hallway and yet another curve, three steps up and Harry could almost hear Ron screaming right in front of him. Suddenly a shock of red appeared in his vision, it was Ron.  
  
"Harry! Harry!" screamed Ron upon seeing his friend, partly relieved and partly terrified. Harry soon heard why, the chiming crystal ornaments came from behind Ron, and it sounded as if she was not far behind.  
  
"Harry, please tell me that Professor Snape gave you a potion for a big blast. She's right behind me and I think I'm on her "most wanted" list." Ron tried to catch his breath and bend over. Suddenly Harry noticed the familiar looking blue rod that Ron was clutching in his hands. It was Achilles' Spear!  
  
"Ron!" cried Harry, partially wondering why Ron hadn't changed in a crystal statue yet and partially wondering if that might still happen.  
  
"She's after this Harry. I don't know why, but this is what she was after. I beat her to it by a hair and I figured that, after Professor Heartilly summoned the power from the Spear, it wouldn't be dangerous anymore to try and retrieve the rod. So, I grabbed the Spear and started running. I think I had the element of surprise because she didn't go after me right away." Ron smirked a little, but his pale countenance indicated that he was very nervous.  
  
"She probably couldn't believe that someone would deliberately try and get in her way." Ron paused for a moment and took another deep breath.  
  
"Look, Harry, if you have a plan, you better tell me now. She could be here any moment."  
  
"I do have a plan, trust me. It's actually quite convenient that she's after you, so she won't pay any attention to me. Here's what you have to do; just keep running and let her chase you. Once she passes me, I'll go after her. That way I'll have a clean shot at her heel. I just hope that catching a ball is as easy as throwing one."  
  
"All right. Good luck Harry. And... if I don't make it as well. You were my best friend and it was an honour knowing you."  
  
"Don't be silly, Ron. Of course you'll make it, you have to. Now go," said Harry with a slightly trembling voice.  
  
Ron nodded and again he took off at a run. Harry watched him go and after just a short moment of waiting a furious ferocious creature came rushing after his best friend. Harry waited just a short moment before he followed her.  
  
Curve, hallway, steps, hallway, curve, hallway, stairs. Harry felt like he had been running forever but suddenly he saw that Ron had reached a dead end. Terrified, the latter turned around and made a mistake.  
  
"Harry!" cried Ron desperately, and made Crejy aware that someone had been following him. She hissed angrily and started to turn around. Harry acted on impulse and threw the bottle to Ron, well aware that if Ron wouldn't be able to catch it, he'd probably die. Unaware of the object that came zooming towards her through the air, Crejy directed all of her fury at the young black haired boy standing in front of her. Harry held his breath and waited.  
  
Ron saw the small bottle zooming towards him. He focused on it, performed a running jump and snatched the bottle out of the air. In the momentum of the jump, Ron turned around mid-air and threw the bottle against Crejy's right heel with a well-aimed shot. A blast of energy was released from the bottle and the force threw Ron against the dead-end wall. Harry flung himself to the floor with the sound of Crejy's cries of pain and defeat in his ears. Harry looked up at the blue creature, shielding his eyes with his right arm. Crejy, heavily damaged by the sudden release of energy, staggered forwards while small flames leapt onto her legs. A bright light emerged from deep within her and Crejy threw her arms up with the outlet of one last desperate cry. The intensity of the light grew stronger and stronger and Harry couldn't stand to watch it. He winced against the light but suddenly he saw the limp body of Professor Heartilly falling forward. He could barely grab her by her right elbow to prevent her from crashing to the floor. Carefully, Harry laid her down on the floor and noticed that the light slowly faded away. Ron staggered to his feet and rushed over to Harry and the Professor.  
  
"Aaaah. Curse Lazy Heartilly, curse her!" screamed a confused Peeves while zooming through the hallways. Obviously, Crejy's defeat had lifted Peeves curse. Ron and Harry smiled at each other until someone suddenly pulled them into a tight bearhug.  
  
"You crazy idiots! You two could have gotten yourself killed! Next time no more heroics!" shrieked Hermione while she sobbed between the two boys.  
  
"We're glad to see you too, Mione," said Harry while he grinned at Ron.  
  
"Timing, Harry. Timing," said a soft but serious voice. 


	20. Reprimand

Major trouble for Lieirin. Snape is furious and wants her to get kicked out of Hogwarts. Dumbledore knows this is impossible to do and gives her another chance. Snape wonders why.

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Chapter 19

Reprimand 

Harry, Ron and Hermione looked up in shock and saw Dumbledore approaching them, flanked by ... Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape, both looking deathly pale.

"But, Professor Dumbledore, I thought... we thought... that you were..."

"Dead? They were."

Six people looked around in astonishment. Lierin stood behind them, her cloak pulled tightly around her. Her face was ashen white and her eyes were cast down.

"And if Crejy had managed to get back to the crystal, they would have remained that way. Fortunately, Mr. Weasley here was able to stop her."

Dumbledore's eyes grew dark.

"We have to talk, Miss Heartilly. For by the love of Merlin, I can't call you Professor right now. To my office please," said Dumbledore in a more grim manner than he meant.

Lierin nodded, her eyes still cast down, and she followed Snape, McGonagall and Dumbledore to his office.

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"You may begin to explain with why on earth you pulled such an idiotic stunt." 

Lierin didn't dare to look up. She could feel the warmth and the light of the flames in the fire place playing with the features of her face, but she didn't look up to see their teasing tribal dance. She could also feel the wrath of Snape and McGonagall upon her. Well, there was a first time for everything; she never thought that those two would ever agree on something.

"I can give you several reasons that made me want to do it. But I'm afraid that they're not sufficient enough to be an excuse for what I did."

"Just try to make me understand why you would release such a dangerous and unpredictive force into this school. Why you would put all of our lives in jeopardy."

"I don't expect you to fully understand my motives. I didn't mean any harm, but at the moment I was angered. I had been humiliated in front of my class. I merely wanted to teach someone a lesson. I had no idea how powerful the entity of Achilles' Spear really was and once she was released, there was no way back."

"You always have a choice, Miss Heartilly and unfortunately you made all the wrong choices for all the wrong reasons."

"I know Professor Dumbledore, I'm sorry to have disappointed you in such a way. If it is all the same to you, I'll go and pack my things now." Lierin cast a sideway glance at Severus and noticed the unpleasant smile of victory on his face. She tried, but she couldn't get angry, she had it coming. She had tried to kill him after all. For some reason she wished back to that afternoon when she and Severus had talked about Serena, she wished things could have stayed that way between them.

"That won't be necessary. I'm not sending you away, though you do deserve just that."

Both Lierin's and Snape's head jerked up and looked at Dumbledore with an astonished look in their eyes. Gone was Snape's victorious smile, and both he and Lierin tried to protest.

"But professor! I almost..."

".... tried to kill me! A-and Professor McGonagall. Even you!"

"Be silent, both of you! I am very well aware of that fact. But, reluctant as I am to admit this, it wasn't Lierin who attacked us but the entity who had taken over control of her."

"But she did release it, didn't she?" Snape spat out the words like venom.

"Severus, I'm afraid that in this matter you will just have to abide my decision."

"I will if I have to, but just make me understand why you would allow a danger like Lierin continue to teach here at Hogwarts!"

"For the same reason why I allow you to teach at Hogwars, Severus. For the very same reason. Now, Minerva, Severus, if you would be so kind... There's a matter I need to discuss with Lierin."

Minerva nodded sternly and quickly left the Dumbledore's office. Severus didn't respond immediately. Curiously he observed Lierin. She was still standing there with her eyes cast down and though he knew she could feel him staring at her, she didn't dare to look him in the eyes. He wondered what in the world was so important about her that Dumbledore would let her stay here after that stunt she pulled this afternoon? Was she a deatheater too? That weird feeling that something strange or maybe even something dangerous was going on, returned. Lately he had been having some strange visions and some included Lierin, or so he thought. Was she here because of something that had to do with these visions? Not able to think of another reason, Severus pulled his gaze away from her and left the office as well. With both of them gone, Dumbledore turned to face Lierin.

"You know why I'm allowing you to stay here, don't you?" asked Dumbledore in a gentle way.

Lierin nodded."Yes, I think I do. It's because of the Goblet of Might, isn't it? But, if you want, I can still continue to work on that without teaching AMA. I mean, if today proved anything, it is that I'm not cut out to be a teacher."

"No, that won't do. Too many questions would rise if I would continue to let you stay here without allowing you to teach your class again."

"Thank you Professor Dumbledore, I promise I won't let you down again. But, there's something you need to know about the Goblet of Might affair."

"It was stolen recently, wasn't it?"

"Yes, but how do you know?"

"You wouldn't mention anything else about it, except if you would have found it's counterpart, but your serious tone of voice didn't suggest that. So, I came to a very simple conclusion."

"Right. Well... Charlie sent me a letter about it. A young man had been showing a peculiar interest in it and, as you already concluded, it got stolen. We suspect that young man, but Charlie didn't recognise him."

"I suppose this asks for even better securities, for now he'll go after Nightfall's Gain for sure."

"Do you think the dementors will try something again?"

"I don't know. I honestly don't know. Carry on, Lierin. Carry on."

Lierin nodded her head and left Dumbledore's office.


	21. The Truth about Serena Romero

Title says it all. Thanks for reviewing.

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Chapter 20

The truth about Serena Romero

In the evening that same day, Lierin knew very well that she owed Severus and Minerva an apology. With a heavy heart she had just visited Minerva and had begged for her forgiveness and understanding. And finally, after at least an hour of explaining and persuasion, Minerva finally had given her a small nod, though still with pursed lips. And now she was on her way to see Severus. She sure hoped that he was in a good mood because it would be hard enough to convince him. 

She descended the stairs to the serpent's lair and raised her hand to knock on the massive oak door, but then she hesitated. All of a sudden, a flashback took her straight into the dungeons, only they looked slightly different. Warmer, if possible. A small girl slipped in through the massive doors and courageously approached Snape. Strange how that man's appearance never changed, not even by the hands of time. The girl was obviously a Gryffindor student. Slytherins would have approached their head of house with confidence in their stride. This girl was nervous and it showed in her body language, yet she approached Snape with a natural courage that most of the time only came with Gryffindors. 

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"Miss Romero, please enlighten me and tell me what a young Gryffindor girl such as yourself might be doing in the dungeons on a day like this?" 

"I'm here professor, because I wanted to ask you a question… and I didn't dare to enter your office … because I wasn't sure if I should… ask you this question." 

"Miss Heartilly, in or out, if you please. Quit dawdling!"

Abruptly taken back to the present, Lierin gaped at Snape who had just opened the door the leave his lair. How could she have a memory about Serena Romero when the first time she had heard of that name, it came from Snape's lips? Or wasn't that the first time? Was there a possibility that she had known Serena but somehow forgot about her? But how could she forget about a girl who had died under such tragic circumstances? 

Another flashback showed Lierin the same girl but then a few years older... at graduation? But how was that possible? Why did she have memories about her graduation when she supposed to have died years before that event? And why had Lierin been present? And why didn't she remember more?

Her slightly diminished interest in that young girl was back again with full force, especially now Lierin knew that somewhere in her head, there was a memory about that same young girl that shouldn't be there in the first place. Dilemma's, dilemma's. Lierin really wanted to rush to the library, like she had planned to do weeks ago. But then there was still Snape, standing right in front of her, getting angrier by the second and she still had to apologise. Well then, Serena had to wait for another little while.

"Good afternoon, Severus."

Severus stared down at her with his most Arctic glare but said nothing. His shadow loomed over Lierin and she gulped. This was going to be even harder than she first expected.

"I was hoping I could have a word with you. In private?"

Severus said nothing and didn't move a muscle. Lierin could almost see his mind working. On one hand he didn't want to give Lierin the chance to apologise thus giving himself the perfect excuse to keep treating her maliciously, but on the other hand he couldn't wait to see Lierin grovel in the dust for his mercy. Both options weren't very appealing to Lierin, but she didn't have much choice if she wanted a somewhat better life at Hogwarts. Obviously Snape liked the idea of Lierin grovelling in the dust for his mercy the best, because he stepped aside and let her enter his realm. He strode to his desk, pulled his large leather chair from behind it, sat down and placed his hands together, watching Lierin thoughtfully using his joined fingers as some kind of visor. 

"Please make it fast, Miss Heartilly. I was just on my way to... nothing that's anything of your concern."

It certainly didn't sound like he was going to forgive her anytime soon.

"Look, Severus, it's already hard enough for me to say what I'm about to say, so _please_ don't make this harder for me than it already is."

A diabolical glint of amusement appeared in his eyes. Lierin was right, he was going to enjoy this and take advantage of this situation for as long as he possibly could.

"I'm listening."

"Can I at least sit down?"

"Do you see another chair apart from the students benches?"

"I can magic one!"

Severus looked at Lierin and a subtle use of facial muscles tucked his lip in a sarcastic smile. He pulled his wand from his sleeve and with a small flick he transfigured a pencil -left behind by one of his students- into a chair and pulled it over towards Lierin until the edge of the seat bumped against the pits of her knees, causing her to topple backwards, right into the chair.

"If I remember correctly you were better in Charms than you were in Transfiguration. Now, what was it that you wanted to tell me?"

"I wanted to talk to you about what happened the earlier today."

The amusement in his eyes was gone and Lierin found herself staring into two black pits again.

"You mean when you tried to kill me? And Dumbledore and McGonagall?"

Lierin sighed."Yes, Severus, about that. Look, I didn't mean anything of that to happen. I didn't even begin to understand the power that was hidden in Achilles' Spear, yet I used it."

"So you did."

"I was humiliated in front of my entire class, by a _student_! I was angry."

"I know."

"You suggested to Mr. Malfoy not to pay attention in my class and to spend it on 'more useful' matters." 

"So I did."

"So, you admit you were wrong about that?"

"I said no such thing. I merely stated that I did say such a thing."

"Fine. But the heart of the matter is, Severus, that you provoked me. If you hadn't manipulated Malfoy into disobeying me in class, I never would have taken revenge in such a way. I was angry and I didn't know what I was doing until it was too late. And... damn it Severus! If you would just throw me a bone here you would see that!" 

"Your apologies are as bad as your potions once were, Miss Heartilly. But what I want to know, is why Dumbledore didn't send you away from Hogwarts!" hissed Snape as he rose from his chair.

"That's why you provoked me didn't you?" growled Lierin, as she too rose from her chair to face Snape and look him square in the eye.

"You hoped for such a reaction so that I would get expelled from school!"

They were at daggers drawn and Snape was about to fling a tart remark back at Lierin when he noticed something peculiar about her eyes. His right-hand shot forward and he grabbed her face forcefully between his thumb and index finger. 

"Auch, Severus! You're hurting me!" cried Lierin. 

Snape ignored her last remark and kept gazing in her eyes.

"You have her eyes now."

"What do you mean 'you have her eyes now'? Who's 'her'?" asked Lierin as she freed her face from Snape's strong grasp with one quick motion. 

"Crejy."

"Crejy? But...that's _her_ name! The entity of the crystal. How do you know her name?"

Snape looked at her and a confused look appeared in his eyes. _How did he know her name?_ He decided he would go with a lie.

"You told me her name, don't you remember? Or actually, she did."

Lierin stared at him, recalling everything that happened earlier that afternoon.

"No, Severus. I may be gullible but I'm not stupid. The moment Crejy entered your classroom, you knew her name. You called her. Don't _you_ remember?"

"No, I don't," said Severus, turning away from her. 

"Don't lie to me, Severus, I don't deserve that."

"I'm not lying to you, Lierin. I always speak the truth."

"If you always tell the truth, then why did you lie to me about Serena Romero for one? Why did you tell me that she died?"

"Maybe... because she did?"

"I remember her, Severus. I remember that day she asked you to place her out of Gryffindor and into Slytherin. I remember her graduation day!"

Snape turned around abruptly and grabbed Lierin by her collar. 

"Serena Romero died in my arms. She was too severely wounded to be saved, even by magic. The Gryffindors had beaten all the life from her. She never made it to her graduation and you weren't there either when she came to me to plead for her transfer to Slytherin. After all, that happened a full year before you first came to school!" hissed Snape. Lierin's eyes grew wide with shock and fear. She didn't doubt his sincerity for one moment but she didn't doubt her own sanity either. 

"You're lying, Severus, and I'm going to prove it!" spat Lierin as she freed herself from his grasp. 

"Do as you will, woman. You'll find that I spoke the truth. Serena Romero is dead. As dead as the parents of Mr. Potter. Unless, of course, if you in some miraculous way 'remember' that they too survived to live through Mr. Potter's heroics these days."

Lierin said nothing but she sent Severus a death glare and turned to leave the class room. Right before she opened the door, she remembered something. An upcoming holiday to be exact.

"Christmas is coming up you know."

"What did you say?" asked Severus, surprised that she would bring up the subject of Christmas after a heated discussion.

"_Christmas_, Severus, Christmas is coming up!"

"So it does, Miss Heartilly. Every bloody year! What's your point?"

"I understand that teachers too give each other gifts each year. I was just wondering..."

"I don't. So don't bother."

"I jus want to know if you'll accept a gift from me or not!"

"I said don't bother. You're wasting your time if you want to bribe my good sentiments with a gift. And why you are so fixed on giving me a gift is beyond me."

"Trust me, the thought never entered my mind to bribe you. I know you too well for that. And I hate making exceptions. I don't want to buy everyone a present and purposely neglect to buy you one."

Snape sighed. He knew Lierin to well to hope for her to just let go.

"I do respect your sentiment on that. You have a big heart. Yet, you shouldn't waste your worries on me. Besides, your consideration on my behalf is already more than either of my colleagues has ever showed me. Except maybe for Dumbledore. Just let it go."

"I can't, just don't throw away my gift. Because you are getting one."

Snape said nothing and Lierin hesitated a little while longer.

"Severus, are you still angry with me?"

Snape sighed and threw his head back. "Just go, Lierin. Just go and leave me alone. After what happened today I think I deserve that, if just for one evening."

At least a bit reassured that Snape had called her Lierin and not 'Miss Heartilly' or worse 'woman', Lierin finally did leave the room to give Snape's already pestered nerves a little rest. 

At a steady pace, at least for Lierin, she made her way to the library and when she reached it, she sat down in the most isolated corner she could find. At first she did nothing but rest her head on her arms on the table. Was she going crazy? Or was Serena Romero yet another piece of the puzzle in the Hogwart's Mystery? Maybe Snape was lying? She serious doubted the latter possibility. Yes, Snape was a very dubious person with a just as dubious a past. And most of the time he was an intimidating and manipulating bastard. But a liar? Well, the school records and the yearbooks wouldn't lie so that's where she needed to look. 

Now, what was it that Snape had said? _"After all, that happened a full year before you first came to school." _So, that meant that Serena died in 1988 because Lierin first attended Hogwarts in 1989, the year that Voldemort disappeared. Lierin got up and searched for the school records of 1988 and started working. Soon however, a familiar pain started to beg for attention and though Lierin forced herself to ignore the pain in her leg, after just a few minutes of research her hand started creeping to her leg repeatedly to massage the painful muscles. It didn't take Lierin long to realise that working under this condition was virtually impossible so she started to close the first book just as her eyes caught what she was looking for, and just as a large shadow loomed over her desk. She quickly threw the book back at the table, her finger resting near the spot she wanted to read and she looked up to see who was there to disturb her.

"Severus?" exclaimed Lierin surprised as she recognised the person to whom the large shadow belonged. 

"I figured you would be here," said Severus without reacting on her exclamation and without greeting her. "Have you found what you were looking for?"

"I think so, yes. I haven't read it yet though, you startled me."

Severus' mouth opened as if he were about to apologise, but he closed it again and just nodded stiffly. 

"Now are you prepared to admit that I was right?" asked Snape. Lierin didn't react; she had started reading the article in the yearbook and was too engrossed to pay any attention to Snape's remark.

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This year a tragedy befell Hogwarts as the premature death of the fourteen year old Serena Romero (Gryffindor) shocked the entire Hogwarts population. 

Due to an unfortunate accident just outside the Quidditch field, Serena's life ended as she was beyond any help, be it practical or magical. The entire school mourns the loss of her great mind, her bright personality and her sweet caring nature. 

That was it. No more, no less was written about the unfortunate Serena Romero. Tears stung in Lierin's eyes but she didn't allow them to fall. Her voice was thick with emotion when she made the only conclusion she could make out of the tribute in the yearbook. 

"No graduation," she said softly.

Snape couldn't help but feel sorry for Lierin. She had seemed so convinced that she was right, that Serena had graduated like every student was supposed too. He sat down at the desk right in front of her and moved his hand to place it on her shoulder. She didn't see this gesture and at the last possible moment, Snape clenched his hand into a fist and pulled it back.

"No, not for her," he agreed sadly.

"This is it? This is all that the school wrote about her?"

"Yes, that's it. There's nothing more. Not even in the school records. You can check it if you don't believe me. There's nothing more but 'deceased' behind her name."

"And the medical records?"

"Don't torture yourself like this. She's dead. Let it go. I had to do so too."

"Am I going crazy, Severus? Why do have memories of her when I shouldn't have them? If you are not lying, am I lying to myself?" 

"Maybe you got her confused with another..." Snape tried to explain, but Lierin cut his words short by an outburst of anger, confusion and possibly even grief. 

"Why? Why wasn't there more in the books about her death? Was this all the space they could spare for her? Was this all the space they _wanted_ to spare to remember her?"

Snape got up from the desk and he threw his hands up in the air with despair. She asked all the same questions that he himself had asked McGonagall, hell even Dumbledore. She tore open all the old wounds that had quietly healed over the years and all the pain and anger was back. And what was the use? The girl was dead and no answer to any question could bring her back. The truth was, while Snape himself made it no secret that he favoured his Slytherins, the school did make it a secret that it favoured Gryffindor. That's why nothing more was written about Serena, because the school couldn't possibly publish a negative article about the self-concerned, conceited, _brave_ Gryffindors who, in their ignorant crudeness, had murdered a young innocent girl who, though being a Gryffindor herself, should have been a Slytherin from day one. 

"Do you really think that the school would publish an article about Gryffindor that would expose their true nature? Do you really think they would publish a story that would reveal how Gryffindors treated a young girl who didn't seem to fit in their house? Of course not. Gryffindor House was elected in the memory of the great Goderic Gryffindor; the students were selected after his own personal character traits. Blaming them would be like blaming Goderic himself." 

"Do you know what happened to her? What really happened to her? If you do, Severus, please tell me. I need to know. I need to be able to separate the truth from just a figment in my head."

Severus sighed and closed his eyes. He could understand Lierin, really he could, but the truth was, he had no idea whether he could bring himself to remember. But her eyes, Crejy's eyes now, they were so full of hope... How could he not...? 

"Yes, Lierin, I know exactly what happened to Miss Romero."

Severus looked at Lierin and noticed that she was waiting for him to continue. He took a seat right across Lierin and watched her intently as he began his story.

"That day Miss Romero came to me, the day you claim to remember, that was the start of everything... No, it was not. I must go further back... The first time Miss Romero came to school, two older Gryffindor students had managed to put a spell on the Sorting Hat. They wanted to cheat their younger brother into Gryffindor by having a little control over the Sorting Hat. Unfortunately for them and for Miss Romero, somehow the spell backfired and as a result their younger brother was placed into Hufflepuff and Miss Romero was placed into Gryffindor. It never became clear whether young Mr. Dippler really was a Hufflepuff or not. He seemed to be quite contempt there and if he wasn't, he never showed it. But that Miss Romero was unhappy in Gryffindor became clear for everybody soon enough..."

"So, Miss Romero really should have been put in Slytherin, she didn't just feel out of place?"

"Right, she really was a true blue Slytherin. She was a silent worker, always got top grades and had a healthy dose of ambition. At first I mistook the first two abilities as those of a Gryffindor, until she approached me and I got a good look into her eyes. It was all there. She was a Slytherin."

Snape paused for a moment and Lierin could see that merely talking about the young girl was hard for him, very hard. Still, he continued his story.

"As you know, she asked me to speak with Minerva about a possible transfer to Slytherin. I did, but Minerva refused. She said that the Sorting Hat was never wrong and if the hat had placed her in Gryffindor, she _was_ a Gryffindor. I took the matter to Dumbledore, but even he couldn't believe that the Sorting Hat had placed a student into the wrong house. And in the mean time, things were getting harder on Miss Romero. She had found a friend or two in Slytherin, who had discovered her great passion for Quidditch and her wish to be on a Quidditch team. Of course, the Gryffindors shunted her away; they didn't want to have anything to do with her and she soon became the laughing stock of Gryffindor"

"Poor girl. But why did they hate her so much? What happened to her?"

"Why they hated her? Who knows. She pretty much kept to herself because she felt out of place and the Gryffindors could sense that she didn't belong in their house. Yet, she was in their house and they probably felt like she was intruding. They probably just wanted to protect their 'territory' and did everything possible to let her know that she wasn't welcome in Gryffindor. After all, a true Slytherin and a true Gryffindor never get along."

"Really? Hmm, you could have fooled me. I think we get along just fine."

"_If_ we, for one moment, can forget that we are a Slytherin and a Gryffindor."

"Hmm. Go on with your story."

"Very well. Her two friends came to see me and convinced me of Miss Romero's talent on the Quidditch field. It was against the rules of course, that someone would play in a game against his or her own house, but the Gryffindor team didn't want her, the Slytherins did and neither Minerva nor the rest of the Gryffindors protested against Miss Romero playing for Slytherin. After Dumbledore's approval Miss Romero joined the Slytherin team as a Seeker. And a fine Seeker she was. With her in the team, Slytherin was unbeatable. Her talent as a Seeker far surpassed Mr. Potter's current attempt at being one. At that point Gryffindor started to object, they wanted Miss Romero off of the Slytherin team and onto theirs. She, however, refused."

"She refused to play? But wasn't that what she wanted in the first place?"

"Of course, but not like that. Gryffindor only wanted her when they discovered her talent; they wanted to use her to beat Slytherin. So, Miss Romero agreed to leave the team after one final game of Quidditch. Now, from the time she had entered the team until the day she left, I noticed that Miss Romero lost all concentration in class and turned a whiter shade of pale by each following day. 

I went to see Minerva about it but she dismissed every speculation that something might be wrong with the girl. Until one night the girl came crying at the door of my private rooms. She had been beaten by several Gryffindor students. I'm afraid I lost my temper, I grabbed her forcefully by her shoulder, probably inflicting her more pain, and I dragged her to the private chambers of Minerva and forced her too see the plain evidence of abuse. Old bruises, new bruises, old cuts and new cuts. She had managed to hide it well."

"They had beaten the poor girl?"

"Oh yes. They had tried to scare her from the Slytherin team but she refused to heed their warnings."

"And her last game of Quidditch?"

"The day she died... I should have refused to let her play that day, but she begged me to let her and, by Merlin I indulged her, I allowed her to play and the victory of Slytherin led to her death."

With tears in her eyes, Lierin looked away from Snape, so she didn't see how he wiped away a single blasted tear as he was engrossed in memories he had tried to forget.

"Her friends, they came to me, long after the celebration of Slytherin's victory. They had started looking for Miss Romero when she hadn't showed up for the celebration. They found her just outside the Quidditch field, beaten up by her fellow housemates. The blackguards who had done this to her were nowhere to be seen of course. Her friends fetched me and, unsure of how I would find her, I neglected to send for Madam Pomfrey. Had I done this immediately... Anyway, when I arrived at the scene, Miss Romero lay there dying... So now you know the entire story. I hope it was to your satisfaction." 

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"I'm sorry I couldn't be a Slytherin, Professor. I'm sorry I couldn't make you proud of me." 

"I AM proud of you and you ARE a Slytherin. You'll always be a Slytherin to me!"

That memory, her last words, would haunt him forever. 

Lierin sat quietly, her hands folded in her lap. She knew what he had told her was true. But still, there were so many questions left for her to ask. Questions she would never get an answer to. Snape turned around to face her when she didn't react, and noticed the absent expression on her face. Her eyes, Crejy's eyes, were full of tears. That faint feeling that something was going on was back again. Here was Lierin, convinced that Miss Romero had survived her third school year…that she had graduated. And there was himself, who had memories of Lierin giving him the fabled knife of Bia and who had recognised her as Crejy when she was possessed, or whatever, by that entity. And _she_... had Crejy's eyes now. 

He watched as Lierin massaged her painful leg. He approached her carefully, left a small vial on her table, and turned around to leave the room. He turned around once and saw her staring at the vial.

"I wasn't lying about your eyes, Lierin. They have changed. You have _her_ eyes now."

With those words Snape left the library and right after he left, Remus entered the library.

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	22. Reconciliation

More information about Crejy the entity and, tadaa, out of the blue, a new one.

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Chapter 21

Reconciliation 

"Lierin! I've been looking all over for you! I just heard about what happened. What exactly did happen?"

Lierin quickly wiped a few tears away and if Remus saw this at all, he was considerate enough not to mention it. 

"A bad decision. That's what happened... I'm sorry, Remus. I'm still a bit shaken up. I'm not really in the mood to tell the entire story in all it's specific details."

"Fine, I'll... hear it another time then. How are you? At least indulge me and tell me _that_."

Remus could tell that Lierin was having a hard time falling apart. He saw tears glistening in her eyes and her hand was trembling when she casually moved a lock of hair behind her right ear.

"Not good, Remus, not good. I've... I just found out that... Merlin, I can't even begin straight. Do you remember when I asked you about Serena Romero? You said you knew nothing about her."

"Yes, I remember. What about her?"

"I told you that Snape had said something that I found very peculiar, didn't I? Well, today I found out what exactly I found peculiar. You see, Snape told me that the girl had died in her third year, one year before I first came to school."

"And why is that peculiar, if I may ask?"

"Because I remember that girl. I remember Serena; I just don't know in what way I remember her. There are just these vague memories of her on the Quidditch team and celebrating her graduation. But how can I remember her if she died approximately one year before I came to school? How can I remember her graduation party when she never graduated? That's what I found peculiar and that's why I'm so confused and distressed."

"Well, at least this proves that we -or at least you- have memories of a past life, or a parallel life, just as you want to describe it. But, it does break a certain continuity in Hogwarts' Mystery."

"A certain continuity? What do you mean?"

"Think about it. So far, our ideas are based only on the feeling that we've experienced certain events before. And that it might or might not be connected with your search for the Goblet of Might. Now, not only are you sure that you remember something of your past or parallel life, but the event you remember has a different outcome than the one in your current life. And... What in Merlin's name am I talking about? Past lives, parallel lives, current lives. I don't understand anymore. I'm _so_ confused."

"Have we ever fully understood? All we have are hunches and guesses. Nothing more and... Wait a minute! I almost forgot, someone else is involved as well!"

"Someone else? You mean besides you, me and Severus?"

"Oh, we found out about him already? Rats. We really should take some notes to keep us from running mad. Well, at least I now have more evidence that Severus is involved as well."

"What kind of evidence? Something solid, at last?" 

"Well, I'm not sure if it's really solid, but listen to this. After my little 'accident' today, I had a little talk with Severus. At some point he suddenly grabbed my chin and studied my eyes and said that I have 'Crejy's' eyes now..."

"Crejy? Who's..."

"Never mind, Remus... all right, she's the entity that I summoned today and who possessed me..."

"Entity? Summoned..._Possessed_, Lierin what..." Remus stopped asking further questions upon seeing the annoyed look on Lierin's face and the waving of her hands to stop him from further pressing the matter.

"What I'm trying to point out is, he knew her name, he recognised her the minute she barged into his class (at this point Remus knew better than to cry out: "Barged into his class?") and, well, he shouldn't recognise her."

"Is it too much if I'd ask -_Why not_?-"

"Because the entity, when summoned, takes the form best suited for the summoner. Much like the entities summoned by the patronus spell, actually. But, I never summoned Crejy before, let alone that I summoned her in front of Tyng Saccahkan... I mean Severus Snape, obviously... Did I just say 'Tyng Saccahkan'?"

Remus smiled."Yes, you did. Care to explain?"

"I'd love to, but... I have no idea what that means."

"Imagine that, the first thing that pops into Snape's mind when he sees you as your summoned entity, is his or her name and the first thing that pops into your mind when you want to explain something regarding the entity and Snape is... Tyng Saccahkan? I really think that you ought to know what that means."

"Well, actually I do know what it means, I just don't understand what it has to do with Severus and me."

"Just start with A and continue with B. If you explain to me all that you know about Crejy and Tyng Saccahkan, maybe we can figure out what it has to do with you and Severus, together."

"All right. Start with A. Uhm... well, obviously Crejy is the name of an entity that resides in Achilles' Spear. The entire line of 'Achilles' artifacts were created by an ancient tribe, a weak ancient tribe, so they could defend themselves against their enemies. But their enemies were with many and they were strong. The result of several wars was ruination and despair. The people from the tribe were either killed or taken prison. The artifacts were scattered all around the world and the entities were never summoned again. They still await, peacefully slumbering until their help is needed once again. Now, Crejy is the entity of crystal. Her name is the tribes' translation of the name of the Indian goddess Shiva. Tyng Saccahkan means 'Dark Messenger' and he's the entity of shadows. There are several more entities. There's Evned, Eqeuh, Pyrysid, Yhesy, Jymavun and Ouzespu. Those are the entities I'm familiar with. But who knows how many entities are still hidden?"

"And they all reside in a line of Achille's artifacts?"

"Yes, Crejy resides in Achille's Spear, made from crystal, Tyng Saccahkan resides in Achilles' Lantern, which can cast shadows and there's an Achilles' Ring, an Achille's Yuriken, to draw blood and..uhm... I don't remember exactly what artifacts are in existence."

"You must have called Snape Tyng Saccahkan for a reason just as he called you Crejy for a reason."

"But what reason can that be?"

Remus thought about that question for a while. Suddenly he came up with- what he thought to be- a plausible explanation.

"Well, you said that he called you Crejy upon seeing you in the entities form, right?"

"Yes... and?"

"It was a reaction. A reaction to a memory, a memory in which you summoned Crejy."

"A memory to his or our past/parallel life?"

"Possibly, and maybe, because you called Snape Tyng Saccahkan, that was a reaction as well. Maybe there was a sign of remembrance in your mind that connected Snape with the entity. Maybe you too have a memory of him, a memory in which he summoned an entity. That might explain why you called him that. You might have a memory of him as Tyng Saccahkan."

"You know, that just might not be as far off as it sounds. I recall that when I entered the classroom, Crejy was surprised that I was angry at Severus. She seemed to have a ...pleasant... memory about him as Tyng Saccahkan."

Both Lierin and Remus paused for a while, until Remus was the first to start summing up a list of things they 'knew' for sure. 

"Okay, the facts: those entities take a form best suited for their summoner, so they never appear the same when summoned by different persons. Severus recognised Crejy in her form best suited for you and you linked the entity Tyng Saccahkan to him. Proof that the both of you have encountered each other in the entities form. That proves that both you and I are involved _and_ Severus. More proof, Severus still hates me for a childhood prank though Sirius is actually the one to blame. But who knows, maybe Severus hates him too."

"More facts, you as well as I actually have memories of that past/parallel life. Now we know that Severus must be involved as well, I'm sure he too has memories of that life. Him recognising Crejy is probably one of them."

"Very important fact, you have a memory of Miss Romero which on its own is very strange, even considering the fact that we now have knowledge about a past/paralel life. If you have no memory of her in your current life, you shouldn't have one of her in your past/parallel life. Proof that there is a certain 'inconsistency' somewhere down this or the other time-line. Miss Romero however, is not involved in the Hogwart's Mystery. If she were, she would have been alive today just like she had been in your memory."

"Another fact we might want to consider, in that memory of Serena, I was with Severus when she begged him to talk to Minerva about a transfer. But why was I with Severus? Why was I at Hogwarts at that time? Was I a student... or...?"

"I think you were a professor, Lierin. I mean, if you were a student, Serena never would have approached Severus in front of you. But, were you a professor..."

"And if she knew me well _and_ trusted me as a professor..."

"... she just might have confided in you _and_ in Snape."

Silence again.

"Another fact..." said Remus thoughtfully, "We found out about the Hogwarts Mystery about the same time you were after the counterpart for the Goblet of Might. Coincidence? I think not. You are here for a reason, you were _guided_ here for a reason."

"And you?"

Remus chuckled but there was no joy in it."Me? I think I am only here to guide you into the right direction."

"And Severus?"

"For some reason, I think he's important. You two are linked somehow. You two _always_ have been linked. As humans and as summoners."

"Nothing happens without reason," said Lierin softly.

"Excuse me?"

Lierin shook her head."It's nothing, forgive me... I have to go, clear my head and buy a few Christmas presents."

She turned to leave but Remus grabbed her wrist and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Don't let this suffocate you, Lierin. Take it easy, take your time and everything will be just fine. I am here for you, Lierin. Remember that. I am here for you, I always will be..."

Lierin allowed her head to rest on Remus' shoulder and a soft sob escaped from her lips. She didn't know how much more she could take, how much responsibility she could handle before she would break. And for a moment, she wished she had never come to Hogwarts. Things had turned much too complicate after her arrival. She closed her eyes and sighed. She knew Remus was right. She was here for a reason and whatever that reason was, it was important.

Neither Lierin nor Remus noticed that the door had creaked open and that two dark eyes were watching them. Anger and hate plain to be seen in those dark pits. _"I am here for you, I always will be..." _Those words echoed in his mind and caused a painful contraction in his throat. He felt like slamming the door but he restrained himself. She wouldn't fool him again with her pretty face. 

His time would come. His revenge would be sweet. 


	23. Gifts from the Heart

Christmas is on the way and several people go shopping. A nice little break from all the problems. 

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Chapter 22

Gifts of the heart

Lierin decided that it would be good to clear her head and think of the coming holiday instead of all that was going on. In the weekend she ventured to Hogsmeade and found that the small village was alive and vibrant and full of expectation for the upcoming celebration. The lively mood that seemed to come from the village itself had a positive effect on her and after just roaming the streets she started gift raiding for her colleagues. 

By the late afternoon there was only one gift left to buy. A gift for Severus Snape. And by Merlin, she had no idea what to get him. She knew he wouldn't appreciate a gift from her anyway, but a promise was a promise, he would get a gift whether he wanted it or not. For Remus she had bought a very exquisite looking set of wizards robes, velvet green and embroidered with fine and complicated looking patterns. She hoped he wouldn't be insulted but by Merlin, she had enough about people complaining he looked shabby. He wasn't shabby! Remus was incredible! Besides, the set of robes felt very comfortable and warm. For Minerva she had bought a beautiful looking cameo, a nice pointy hat for Fillius, a new pair of dragon scale gloves for Madam Hooch, warm woollen socks for Dumbledore and so on and so on. She searched every shop in Hogsmeade and additionally she searched every shop in Diagon Alley. She didn't even know why she was going through so much trouble to find Severus a gift. She only knew she wanted to give him something special. But, she soon realised that the one special thing she was looking for was not to be found in stores, but was already safely in her possession. It was a gift that would certainly fit his nature and Lierin hoped that he would appreciate and acknowledge its value. Quickly Lierin turned around to leave Diagon Alley so she failed to see the tall cloaked figure, watching her from the threshold of Pellet's Shop of Owls. 

He had been here only for a few supplies for school and for his own private stock. At some point he had noticed her shopping and he had known immediately for what purpose. Determined to neglect her, he had wandered on and lost her out of his sight until he had almost bumped into her near Nocturne Alley. He had followed her around for a bit, curious as to why she would set one foot into that creepy alley, until something dawned into that foggy brain of his, she was looking for a gift for _him_. Not sure how to react on that fact, he turned around at one point, feeling obliged to buy her something too, his feelings of hate and his want of revenge pressed to the back of his mind.

He knew exactly what he wanted to get her, after all, he had seen her silently sneaking up to the Owelry to admire the snowy female that belonged to Potter. So, it was with determination that he was about to enter the shop, when he noticed her again. Unable to pull his eyes away from her, he noticed how she quickly left Diagon Alley with slightly flushed cheeks from excitement and he couldn't help but wonder what she was up to. After she was long gone and some old hag was trying to get him out of the way, he entered the shop shooting a very cold glare at the old woman. Inside the shop, he was amazed by the large quantity of owls occupying the cages. There were the usual forest Owls, a few church Owls and many others but that wasn't what he was looking for. 

Mr. Pellet, the shop owner who was helping him, sighed with annoyance and asked the cloaked stranger what he _did_ want.

"I'm searching for a very special owl. An owl that really catches the eye but he has to be very tame as well. I have no interest in vicious beasts. He also needs to be in good health, preferably a young owl so he can bond easily with his new master." 

Mr. Pellet was a little hesitating in his answer.

"Well, I have this one snowy female. Came in yesterday. Only one year old, very sweet, easy going, in extremely good health. But ehr- also _very _expensive..." 

"Let me see her."

Mr. Pellet showed the stranger to a fairly large cage and there she was, exactly what he had been looking for. She was perfect, just lovely. There wasn't a peck of grey on her, even Harry's snowy female wasn't that perfect. And her eyes, by Merlin, they were as blue as the eyes of her soon to be owner, instead of the usual yellow ones. She was indeed a beautiful specimen. 

"How much?" he asked Mr. Pellet, stretching his arm out to touch the bars of the cage.

"A-hum, five hundred Galleons."

The stranger immediately pulled back his arm and hesitated for a moment. Then, after a short pause the stranger reached out again, gently stroking the bars of the owl's cage.

"I'll take her," he said softly.


	24. Christmas

Christmas has arrived and Professor Trelawney has a premonition.

****

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Chapter 23

Christmas

Christmas had arrived at last and Lierin woke up with a smile on her face. At the foot of her bed a small heap of parcels had appeared so she jumped out of bed, put on her dressing-gown and started to unwrap the packages. Her eyes gleamed like those of a kid. The first was a gift from Remus. She opened up the small velvet box and found two beautiful earrings she recognised as 'The Lunar Tears'. The simple pearl earrings brought tears to her eyes as she remembered them belonging to Mrs. Lupin. There was a small note and it too, in all its simplicity, brought tears to her eyes. 

__

My dearest sister,

Mum would want you to have these. 

With all my love,

Remus

She sniffed, trying to hold back more tears and quickly opened another present. This one made her laugh through her tears. She recognised from the untidy scrawl on the brown paper that the gift came from Hagrid. It was a silver necklace with a cute little charm in the shape of a Pearlypod. The next present was from Minerva, she'd given Lierin a large yellow leather bound book:

__

"Unravel Egypt's Mysteries" it said. Lierin leafed through the pages and had to stifle a laugh as she noticed that most objects had been discovered by herself. She quickly went through all the packages and laughed at one, and 'awed' at the other one. There was only one person who had decided not to give her a Christmas present though, Severus. 

She tried to pretend that she didn't care but to no avail, the fact that he just didn't care hurt her. This simple act of negligence ruined her entire Christmas spirit. She quickly got herself dressed and decided she would thank her colleagues for the presents later. She left her room and thought it might be useful to kill a little time doing some research. So, she locked herself up in the library to wrestle through a few books about time-traveling, but she couldn't keep her mind on what she was reading. Angry at herself for being such a fool-hearted girl, she skipped breakfast and forced herself to really do some heavy research for a large part of the day, but still she came up with nothing. At lunchtime she went down to the Great Hall feeling really glum and depressed. To her surprise she found that the house tables had been moved against the wall and that a single table stood in the middle of the room. 

Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Sprout and Flitwick were there, along with Filch and a few students (Harry, Ron and Hermione being a few of them she actually knew). Disappointed that Remus wasn't in the room, she sat down beside Flitwick and didn't notice the odd look on Snape's face as he watched her. 

"Merry Christmas!" said Dumbledore, "As we are with so few, it seemed a bit foolish to use the house tables. So now, crackers!" said Dumbledore enthusiastically, offering the end of a large silver one to Snape, who took it reluctantly and pulled. With a bang like a gunshot, the cracker flew apart to reveal a large, pointed witch's hat topped with a stuffed vulture, a hat Lierin recognised as her own. She grinned at Harry and Ron; Snape found it less amusing and he pushed the hat towards Dumbledore.

"Excuse me, I do believe that belongs to me!" said Lierin.

"Oh, too bad. Well, never mind. Here you are!" said Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eye as he handed over the hat.

"Tuck in!" he advised the table, beaming around. As Lierin was helping herself to a piece of turkey, she felt a hand softly touching hers as it went for the roast potatoes. The sudden stir in her stomach told Lierin that it was Snape and soon she could inhale his unique scent, proving that it was indeed Snape. A little shaky she retreated her hand when suddenly the doors of the Great Hall opened again. Professor Trelawney obviously had decided to honour her colleagues with her presence, as she glided towards them as if she were on wheels. She had put on a green glittery dress in honor of the occasion, making her look more than ever like a glittering, oversized dragonfly.

"Sybill, this is a pleasant surprise!" said Dumbledore, standing up.

"I have been crystal-gazing, Headmaster," said Trelawney, in her mistiest, most faraway voice.

"And to my astonishment, I saw myself abandoning my solitary lunch and coming to join you. Who am I to refuse the promptings of fate? I at once hastened from my tower and I do beg you to forgive my lateness."

Lierin had to repress a chuckle, which caused an angry glare from Trelawney as she lowered herself in an empty chair. Lierin was sure Trelawney would _love_ to deduct house points for that. Apart from a heated discussion between McGonagall and Trelawney, all went reasonably quiet during lunch until one point.... Lierin was full to bursting with Christmas dinner and she decided to spend the rest of her day in her room. She excused herself with the others and got up first from the table when a loud, hoarse voice cut through the room.

"_To stop the evil reign. I tell you this must pass a first, if not so, the evil one will rise again_!" 

Lierin wheeled around to face Professor Trelawney and so did everybody else at the table. Trelawney had gone rigid in her armchair; her eyes were unfocused and her mouth was dropped open. Suddenly her eyes started to roll, she looked as though she was about to have some sort of seizure.

__

"With the help of his servant, the evil one will rise again, greater and more terrible than ever before but the future has more trials in store. For if the beast, the grim, the child of sun and moon and the severe soul neglect their destiny, the evil one shall reign for eternity. If they choose to heed this token, the power of the other SHALL be broken!" 

Professor Trelawney's head fell forwards onto her chest and made a moaning sort of noise. Then, quite suddenly, her head snapped up again.

"I'm so sorry," she said dreamily, "I don't know what came over me, I must have dozed off for a moment."

Nobody said a single word, they just kept staring at Trelawney. Lierin, pale as a sheet, wheeled around and hustled up towards the library.

In the library Lierin leafed through the books as fast as she could, when a hand gently placed on her shoulder gave her a violent start. She wheeled around and saw, partly relieved and partly nervous, that the hand belonged to Severus.

"Severus!" she breathed, " What in the world are you doing here?"

"I could ask you that very same question. What are you doing here, leafing through dusty books as if there's no tomorrow?"

"If I don't find quickly what I know is supposed to be here somewhere, there might not be a tomorrow."

"What did you say?" Snape asked, not sure if he had heard her correctly.

"Well, didn't you hear Trelawney?"

"Come on Lierin, I had thought you to be wiser than that. You shouldn't pay too much attention to her predictions."

"I know Severus, she's predicted my violent death at least a thousand times and I'm still breathing aren't I! But this one is real, this time it's different. 

I recognise that part about the beast, the grim, the severe soul and the child from sun and moon. It's here somewhere, in an old diary of Rowena Ravenclaw. I... I thought it was a bunch of nonsense at first, a silly story, but now it turns out to be a _Prophecy_! I _need_ to find it. Oh, if I could just remember what it was all about, I wish I had read it more carefully!" 

"Fine, I'll leave you to your work then," said Snape curtly and he couldn't keep the disappointment form his voice. 

"Wait!" Lierin called and when Snape turned around again to face her, an expecting look in his eyes, Lierin bit her lip nervously as she didn't know what else to say. She was just so very curious about what he thought of her present.

"Was there a special reason that you...I mean... Were you just looking for me?"

"No, I wasn't. Just a coincidence. If that would be all...." Snape turned around again. Damn that man!

"Wait!"

"Yes?" This time definitely impatient. Lierin sighed. Why did this man always have to make things so complicated? Didn't anything go easy with him? Well, there was _one_ thing that went very easy with him...

"My present... Did you... Did you like it?" Lierin could curse herself for wanting to know it so badly but there... she had asked him. Now if he would just answer her question. He moved closer to her, closing the gap between them in one step and reached out with one of his hands to cup her chin between his thumb and forefinger, lifting it up slightly. He lowered his head and brushed his lips against hers in a hot and firm kiss. He wrapped his free hand around her tiny waist and pulled her close to him, his mouth tasting of hers and he, just as she wished he would, kissed her breathless.

"Yes, I loved your present very much. I cannot believe you wanted me to have this. But tell me, are you concerned for my well-being, that you would give me the dagger of Bia?" He watched her reaction curiously, not inclined to let her know that he barely recovered from the shock to find _that_ particular knife wrapped in green glittering paper.

Lierin smiled, so he too had been reading her works. "I just thought the dagger would suit you. I have my reasons." said Lierin, flattered that he had been reading her novels. 

"I thank you. It is simply beautiful... Have you been to your room yet? No? I suggest you go there first." Snape quickly left her with those mysterious words. Piling her arms with as many books she could carry, almost every one of them out of the forbidden section, Lierin returned to her private quarters again and locked herself up, determined to find that single page in that single book tributed to a certain prophecy. She dropped all of her books onto her bed and was about to let herself drop to the bed as well when a cheerful hooting gave her a violent start, so instead of falling on her bed, she fell to the ground.

"Ouch!" she grunted as she rubbed her head, which she had bumped to the side of her bed in the process. Carefully she got to her feet and approached a large cage that definitely hadn't been there that morning. There, perched on a stick, was the most beautiful owl she had ever seen. As soon as the snowy female noticed she had drawn attention to herself, she clicked her beak excitedly and expectantly. 

"By Merlin!" Lierin cried out as she approached the cage.

"Hey there sweety, how are you doing? Ain't you the most beautiful creature I've ever seen!"

Flattered the young owl ruffled her feathers as if she wanted to show Lierin her perfectly white colour. Lierin opened the cage and immediately the young owl fluttered down on Lierin's arm and obviously content she let Lierin gently stroke her back.

"How soft you are! I think I'll call you Velvet. You like that name? Velvet?" 

The owl gave Lierin an affectionate nip with her beak as if she agreed with Lierin.

"Very well then. Velvet it is!" 

Lierin searched for a note with the cage but she found none. Nevertheless, there was only one person who could have given her this wonderful present. Severus! A warm feeling was spreading through her body. So he did care! She knew she had to thank him for Velvet, but she also knew she had to work herself through these books again. Remus was not quite feeling well, probably that time of the month again. She was so close, she couldn't give up now! Plus, she now knew what she was searching for. 


	25. Morbid visions

In search of Rowena's diary  
  
A quick note was sent to Remus, for wishing him well, and one to Professor Dumbledore, informing him that she would keep herself restricted to the library and requesting him to let Remus fill in for her while she was 'away'. Little did she know that Remus was quite ill for a while and that Severus was called upon to fill in for him. The students who had signed up for Ancient Magical Artifacts were free during that period.  
  
For days on end she remained in her room, reading books about time- traveling, making notes, searching for Rowena Ravenclaw's diary which seemed to have vanished without a trace and making much more notes. She didn't come down to eat; she requested the house elves to bring food up to her room instead. And, as always, they were eager to please.  
  
She didn't even come down for the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. Perhaps later, she thought to herself, and she could always attend the Quidditch finale; she was sure Gryffindor would win this time, how could they not with a Seeker like Harry and with all three Chasers able to perform a perfect Charging Bull. Later that evening, judging from the riot downstairs, Gryffindor had won the match. Lierin couldn't suppress a yawn and she stretched her back. Hmm, she'd have to remind herself to congratulate Minerva. Or maybe she'd better keep that for when they had actually won the cup. Right now her eyes were tired, so very tired. She closed her eyes for while. Just for a short while she promised herself, but she didn't wake up until the next morning.  
  
Lierin was probably the only one to be asleep, for no one in Gryffindor Tower slept that night. Not after Sirius Black's second attack. They all knew that the castle was being searched again and the whole house stayed awake in the common room, waiting to hear whether Black had been caught or not. Professor McGonagall came back at dawn, to tell them that again, Black had escaped.  
  
The next morning a surprised Lierin found Flitwick teaching the front doors to recognise a large picture of Sirius Black; Filch was suddenly bustling up and down the corridors, boarding everything from tiny cracks in the wall to mouse holes. So Lierin asked Minerva what was going on and Minerva, obviously cross with Lierin that she had been asleep rather than chasing Black, told her the entire story; how Black had got his hands on a scrap of paper with this week's passwords and how he had appeared beside Ron's bed with a large knife. Poor Neville was in total disgrace with McGonagall. She was so furious with him that she had banned him from all future Hogsmeade visits, had given him a detention and forbidden anyone to give him the password into the Tower. Poor Neville was forced to wait outside the common room every night for somebody to let him in.  
  
________________________________________________________________  
  
Dumbledore had known exactly what had moved Lierin to lock herself up in her room with books. She remembered! Whether it was because of the potion that Flobby administered to her through her drinks or not, she remembered the diary, she was looking for it! Why else had she gotten up so fast after Sybill had had that sudden but fortunate preminition? The only way Lierin could recognise the warning about the four keys, was if she had read about it in Rowena's diary. But, there was a problem, or actually there were two problems. One; Lierin had no idea, didn't remember, what the diary had said about the prophecy. Why else was she looking for the diary? Two; the diary she was looking for, was missing. How he knew it was missing? Lierin had locked herself up for several days and had looked for it without result. So, naturally he had wanted to try to 'help' her, only to discover that the book was not in the library. At least not in the section where it ought to be; the forbidden section.  
  
He sighed wearily and got up from his chair. Fawkes must have sensed the depressed mood of his master because the magnificent bird flew from his perch and settled itself on Dumbledore's arm. He stroke his head against Dumbledore's shoulder and was rewarded with a small smile and a little pat on the head. Dumbledore carried the bird towards his window.  
  
"Do you see them, Fawkes? The Clouds of Time? I can. They are getting closer and closer. But, the main key is on the right course of discovery and once she finds out, it will take little effort to persuade the others... I hope. But she still needs to remember. I don't think I have a lot of choice. Lierin must get more of that potion that Flobby is already giving her. But what effect will that have on her? It's a powerful potion, to be handled with the uttermost care, but what other choice do I have? I cannot worry about one individual person, when all of England or perhaps even the world is at stake. If she can't handle the effect of the potion, all will be lost... and so will it be if she does not remember the prophecy in Rowena Ravenclaw's diary. I see no other option, Fawkes, Flobby must increase the amount of the potion."  
  
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The following days, Lierin buried herself in work. Remus was well again, thank heavens, so she did have a few pleasant breaks from all the work. But, feeling she was so close to an answer, Lierin pushed herself to the limit. In daytime she taught her students and during the evenings she tried to do research on time-traveling, both the goblets and memories of past lives. The second subject was easy enough, most of the things she found she either already knew or she had written it herself. About time-traveling and memories of past lives she found close to nothing, but what she found out, she wrote down plus the name of the book she found it in, the name of the writer and where she could find it back in the library.  
  
This endless search for clues; trying to figure out what was going and searching for information, left Lierin with the constant agony of headaches. Gradually, days turned into weeks and her lack of sleep finally started to take it's toll. Lierin noticed she lost control over her body and her rational thinking and she knew she should slow down, but the answer was right in front of her. If she could only... if she could just... and then everything would be alright. So, in pursuit of those 'if's', Lierin kept going, though she was often easily irritated. She even started to fight with Remus, who had taken it up to himself to give body to the voice of reason.  
  
After the so-maniest time that Remus tried to slow her down, even tried her to stop the research for a while, she yelled him to leave her alone though she was perfectly aware that he was right, but that only irritated her even further. Deeply insulted Remus did leave her alone, even ignored her, or at least so Lierin thought. In reality, Remus kept a close eye on her even though she didn't notice. After their latest and so-maniest fight, Lierin felt tired practically all day every day, and it got even worse. Even her students noticed that she had lost all vitality. Due to all that, her mind started to play tricks on her and she got more and more memories of her past life. Most of the time, those memories were, odly enough, connected to Snape. Like Snape smiling at her or Snape lying near a fire-place with his head in her lap. Sometimes she could even feel her fingers running through his thick jet-black hair. Besides those more and more frequent returning memories, Lierin had weird visions and odd 'experiences'.  
  
It first happened when she noticed that her food and drinks didn't taste the way they used to and due to paranoia, she suspected Snape of poisoning her. Those moments, breakfast, lunch and dinner, were always the worst and she would often retire to her private quarters feeling quite miserable and confused. After a while it happened more and more that she just didn't feel up to teaching her students. This to the great dismay of the children because Dumbledore had ordered them to take double Potions classes in case Ancient Magical Artefacts fell out.  
  
Dumbledore watched her every move, watched if there was any sign of remembrance, but unfortunately there was not. Every day when Lierin looked worse, a grimmer look appeared on Dumbledore's face, for he knew she had to go through this. Once she knew, he was sure the others would follow and that they would fulfil their duties. But first, Lierin had to remember what she had read in Rowena Ravenclaw's dairy. He was sure that once Lierin would remember Rowena's prophecy about the four keys, she would investigate in a more specific direction. The founders of Hogwarts!  
  
Often after one of those restless nights, Lierin appeared at breakfast looking frightfully pale and it was obvious she was in a bad shape. But, her hard work did pay off! One particular morning she entered the Great Hall after another few early hours spent in the library. She had found at last something usefull that she really needed to show Remus, something that might help find the solution to whatever was going on.  
  
Not feeling in the mood to spend at least ten minutes of saying "good morning" to each and every teacher at the staff table, Lierin immediately walked to her seat at the far left side of the table. There were two professors sitting on her direct left and right side, but at least they wouldn't waste their time by saying good morning. She was the last professor to arrive and breakfast was already served. In fact, breakfast was almost over. Lierin sat down between Snape and Sinistra and as expected they said nothing. She took a small bowl of porridge and started to eat very slowly. Severus, sitting on Lierin's right, couldn't help but notice that every once and a while Lierin shivered violently. And while usually she had a huge appetite, she didn't seem to care much for her porridge that morning. Also, the fact her hands were trembling and all sweaty didn't go unnoticed by him. Without realizing it, Severus had stopped eating and he watched Lierin intently. Lierin didn't notice however as she was messing with her porridge without eating it. Her mind was engaged with entirely different matters...visions.  
  
The dreams she had in her sleep were now harassing her in the daytime and again unfamiliar images were pouring into her mind. Lierin stopped eating altogether and her eyes were fixed on a mark somewhere in oblivion. At first everything was blurry but soon she could see two people; a man and a woman. She didn't recognise the place they were in, but it seemed as if the room could be one of Hogwarts. Vaguely she could see a large four-poster bed and the woman was lying in it, the man was near the door. From the clothes on the floor and the disheveled appearance of the man, Lierin determined something intimate had just passed. But she felt something was wrong, seriously wrong. She detected a sudden hostility between the two former lovers and she tried with all her might to see who they were, but the images were deformed and blurry and completely deprived of color, as if she were watching the two people through the eyes of a fish. The man turned around and Lierin knew she should recognise him, but she couldn't. He was about to say something, a reaction to what the woman had just said, something she hadn't heard, but before the man opened his mouth to speak, Lierin knew what he was about to say and a sharp pain sliced through the very core of her being and she pressed her hands against her ears to shelter them from the words she would hear anyway.  
  
"Perhaps, but that's not what I wanted to prove, now is it? I wanted to prove something else, I wanted to prove you wrong, and your clothes on the floor and the tears in your eyes prove me right."  
  
The spoon she had been holding flew through the air and smacked against Professor Sinistra's head as she let go of it to shelter her ears. This sudden act of despair put a sudden stop to the noise of chatting students and the clattering of knives and forks against the plates. All the students in the Great Hall stopped eating to watch their professor. The teachers at the staff table were looking at her too but nobody moved a muscle or made a noise. Lierin didn't notice the confusion she caused in the Great Hall. The voice she had heard, even if it had been quite distorted, had something familiar and the harshness in his movement had something familiar as well. She could hear the woman cry and the desperate sound of it made Lierin shiver. Suddenly she was pulled away from that scene and she seemed to be lost in the universe.  
  
The darkness surrounding her was so dense, it was almost like it had turned physical so she could almost actually feel it. Only a few images flashing by broke the eternal pattern of the pitch-black darkness. One image was getting bigger though and appeared long enough for Lierin to see it. It was a passage from a book, a book Lierin felt she knew, and soon another image followed and another and another. They seemed to be all passages from the same book and they followed each other up very quickly, as if Lierin were leafing through an enormous book. "These were called the Dark years. He ruled with terror and people trembled at the mention of his name. Five people had the courage to stand up against him. They created a device that would help them defeat him... All high magic was banned from the lands... High magic devices were destroyed... She gave it to him, but why? Four of the five founders went back... They had to find out what went wrong... Four people were linked... decisions they made and didn't make were the cause of... One of the five founders turned out to be one of them, turned out to be one of the four keys, one of those who were linked... The four keys; a beast, a grim, she and the severe soul... But she didn't understand... blinded by anger and hate she... One found a high magic spell, a spell that would allow them to... high magic was forbidden for he was afraid... his future might be altered once again... they found a spell that would allow them to go... went back to stop her from her foolish act... five people couldn't stand it any longer and they stood up against him... they were the founders of... trained witches to help defeat... but the training was a slow progress and there was little time... they created a relic that would help them defeat... one brewed the potion, one got the relic, one provided the gem, one made the gem's setting and one magically put them together... they heard about a legend but the legend remained just that, it was never proven... they decided to put things at their own hands, they made the legend come true... After months of preparation they created a relic that would help them... the beast, the grim, she and the severe soul, they were the keys... They found a spell... went back... what events triggered the fatal avalanche of her emotions?... they went back... they went back... they went back. Suddenly the words seemed to evaporate and astonished Lierin watched the darkness dissolving around her. It was as if she had been walking through a veil of mist all along, a veil that was now slowly being lifted from an eerie landscape. In the far distance she recognised the contours of Hogwarts. But, it wasn't Hogwarts, or was it? Lierin didn't move and waited for the last swirls of mist to disappear. Then she noticed it was real mist covering the lands and not just ... whatever it was that had brought her here. Here, the mist gave a certain air of surrealism to her surroundings. Surroundings again heavily deformed due to what Lierin believed was a ripple in time and space. Cautiously, Lierin started to move, but after just a few steps she felt dizzy as the surroundings seemed to move along with her. Faint noises of owls hooting a foreboding chant, drifted through to her conscious mind. A silver moon cast it's mysterious rays over the earth and the wind whistling through the boughs and branches of the trees in the Forbidden Forest caused the tiny hairs at the nape of her neck to stir in anxiety. Lierin shivered, she knew something was terribly wrong and that it was best if she'd just turn around and escape this place, because she felt as if she were playing a fatal role in some grim muggle horror movie. Yet, curiosity bid her to explore the area, to try and find out where she was and why she was here. Curiosity, it is said, kills the cat. But still she continued. A cool breeze penetrated her robes and she pulled it closer around her for more warmth and she set off at a sturdy pace without noticing that her ever present handicap was gone. Lierin ignored another attack of dizziness and nausea and she kept walking. Again the surroundings moved along with her, as the countries painted on a globe would if she would have been walking inside one. Gradually the little color that had been present in this 'world' faded away as she neared the Hogwarts look-alike castle. Dark and angry clouds conspired against the earth and betrayed her by casting angry bolts of lightening towards her, ripping the innocent moonlit sky to pieces as their hungry tongues sought their way to earth. Lierin stopped to look at the spiteful clouds and she could clearly feel the sudden animosity between heaven and earth. And not an animosity in the figurative way of speaking, it was really there and she wondered why. She continued down a forsaken path but a sudden strike of lightning just ahead of her nearly caused her to jump right out of her skin. She clasped her hand around her throat as if to force her heart back down that must have moved up there because of her sudden fright, even though she knew that something like that was quite impossible. She forced herself to calm down by evening her ragged breathing, but she suddenly gasped for air when she saw the lightning strike down again, displaying a still form on the ground, a form you could only take for a body. Lierin took off at a run. Maybe it was a person in need of help, maybe this person was still alive. When she neared the body she saw that a shabby set of robes was entangled around it. She recognised it but she didn't want to. It really was a common set of robes. Many wizards wore robes like that. Still, she couldn't get rid of the feeling of terror swirling in her stomach and flooding through every fiber of her body. She knew there was only one way to make sure. Slowly she reached out for the shoulder and the merest touch of her hand caused the body to roll towards her as if by some invisible force. Lierin couldn't make out the victim's face and for the first time she cursed the severe state of deformation of the surroundings she was in. A drop of water splattered on one of her hands and when she looked down, she only saw a fleshy-looking blur. She realised that it were her tears troubling her vision and not the deformation of her surroundings, and when she sniffed and tried to wipe them away with her sleeve, more tears filled her eyes. She started to cry as a certain realisation hit her hard - she didn't really want to know who was lying there, dead. She tried to get a grip of herself and slowly she took the body in her arms, instinctively knowing what her eyes refused to see. Her tears trickled down onto his face and when her brain hesitatingly started to accept, her vision started to clear and gave her the chance to study his precious face. A pained cry escaped from her lips as she held her brother's body in her arms. Remus stared up at her from beyond this world with the quiet gaze of the dead in his eyes. A thin red scar desecrated his otherwise friendly and gentle face. Lierin threw her head backwards and cried to the heavens. A cry blissfully answered by rain.  
  
"I swear I'll avenge your death Remus. I swear upon our mother's grave that whoever did this to you shall pay dearly. I swear I'll get him!"  
  
She cupped his head with one of her hands with the intention to hold him close to her breast, as a mother would do to soothe her child, as a sister would do mourning her brother's death. But a sickening sound caught her attention. The sound of skin letting loose, the sound of a coconut breaking in half - or a skull. Filled with dread she shifted her gaze to Remus' face again, only to notice it wasn't just a scar that ran down his face. She nearly choked in terror as the left side of his face seemed to let loose, cutting his quiet cry in half and turning it into a macabre laugh. It made his face resemble like a gruesome Picasso. With a sickening sound the left side of his face let loose completely and fell to the ground with an ever more sickening thud. Lierin could only stare at the bloody other half that she was still cradling in her arms failing to notice that blood drained into her clothes. In shock she let his body fall out of her arms and again there was that sickening sound. But an even more macabre scene was about to force itself upon Lierin as the body split completely in half and maggots started to crawl to the surface. And Remus face, or what was left of it, suddenly turned into a skull in the last phase of it's decay. An awful stench started to penetrate her nose, a stench that hadn't been there before and a wave of nausea swept over her again. This time however, she knew she really was going to be sick, as her stomach lurched, but still her trial wasn't over. The landscape was shifting again, and again she found herself in complete, godforsaken darkness. Again images forced their way in her mind but this time each image was accompanied by a violent physical attack on her body.  
  
"No more!" cried Lierin, "Please, no more!! I can't take this any longer, leave me alone!"  
  
FLASH An image appeared of a man with black hair and his bulging eyes staring into forgetfulness. She didn't know him. His tongue, which stuck out of his mouth, was swollen and blue. The cord around his neck seemed to be the reason. FLASH An image appeared of her murdered brother, with half a face and his body split in two. FLASH Voldemort was holding the Goblet of Might FLASH Voldemort was torturing Snape FLASH A bright red dot appeared in Snape's abdomen. The dot traveled up and down his body, a foreboding red line in its wake. Snape cried out in pain until the red line reached his face. His eyes flew wide open and so did his mouth, but no sound came from it and his eyes saw nothing. He fell to his knees and from that position, he to fell to the ground, in half. Lierin screamed until she was hoarse and her vocal cords weren't able to produce sound anymore. Suddenly she fell down and the darkness was pulled away from her. 


	26. In the hospital, again

There was a deathly silence in the Great Hall. All eyes were fixed on Lierin, but she didn't seem to notice. Had she looked into Snape's eyes, she would have probably been amazed by the look of concern in them. But, she didn't. Slowly, Lierin rose from her seat, her wine red robes flowing downward as she did so. She moved away from behind the staff table. Her eyes fixed on the doorway. She tried to convince herself that as long as she saw the doorway and not the students in the Great Hall, she wouldn't break down and cry. She knew she had to try to get to the girls' bathroom as fast as she could, because she was a hair's breath away from disgorging herself. Her feet, however, allowed her very little speed in her flight. But as the terrible sensation grew stronger, she forced herself to move faster. When she was half way out of the Great Hall, she took off at a run. After Lierin had rushed out of the Great Hall, the students started to whisper and everybody wondered what was wrong with her.  
  
Remus and Severus approached Dumbledore at the same time.  
  
"I'll go after her," said both of the men in unison.  
  
Dumbledore smiled sadly. "You do that, I'll inform Poppy."  
  
Severus glared angrily at Remus, trying to warn him NOT to go after Lierin. But, Remus just glared back defiantly and both men set off at a run. Remus was at an advantage, of course, with his wolf-like senses, but in his panic, he ran to her private quarters. Severus, however, followed his impeccable instinct.  
  
Lierin ran through the hallways as if a ghost were pursuing her. Tears were still flowing from her eyes, soiling her cheeks, but she kept running, fighting the ever growing need to regurgitate. Peeves was floating through the hallways as well and was pleasantly surprised by the appearance of a deranged-looking Professor Heartilly.  
  
"Crazy Heartilly, Crazy Heartilly," he started to sing, his song only interrupted by an occasional cackling laughter as he zoomed away to tell the rest of Hogwarts the good news.  
  
The girls toilet came into view and Lierin desperately tried to forbear the terrible urge. She was going to make it!  
  
Snap!  
  
Lierin tumbled forwards and, at first, she wondered what was wrong; why was she falling? But, a sudden flare of hot pain surging through her leg told her what was going on.  
  
"No! Not now!" she cried out as she collapsed on the ground. The sudden shock that surged through her body as she made contact with the solid floor was too much. She lost the battle. As she knelt on the floor, both hands placed firmly on the ground, it was as if her body wanted to disgorge the very memory of all she had seen out of her. After a few moments, however, her mind overpowered her body as she realised that it was futile to rid her mind of the poison that way. Weakened from the effort, she crawled on her hands and knees to seek support near a wall. A sudden feeling of calmness and serenity waved over her. Her silence only broken by a singular sob now and again. But this feeling of serenity proved to be no more than the silence before the storm. She shook and trembled as, once again, she began to relive her visions. Whimsical cries of delirium escaped her lips and calmness was replaced by despair. Despair was followed swiftly by irrational anger, grief and more contradicting emotions. Her mind could not accept the fact that she would have to live with those terrible images forever burned into her memory.  
  
If she couldn't get them out of her memory by expelling the poison, she would have to smash it out of her memory. She rose from the floor with renewed strength and hurled herself against the wall. At first, this proved ineffectual as her body resisted such punishment by slowing down her movement at the last possible moment to minimize the impact.  
  
"Leave me be! Go away! Leave me be, leave me be, please just leave me be!" cried Lierin, not sure who or what she was yelling at. It did seem to work, however, because her mind gained in strength and soon proved to be stronger than her body. A stream of determination flooded through her veins and with great will and force she hurled herself against the wall repeatedly, shouting at the tormenting visions to leave her alone.  
  
Severus Snape found her in this state of derangement and his eyes widened in disbelief when he saw her ramming herself against the wall over and over again.  
  
"Poor girl! She's gone mad" Snape exclaimed. Lierin's face was a bloody mess and her body was showing signs of pain and fatigue. Before Lierin could steady herself for another self-inflicted blow, Severus, with his lightning fast reflections, was with her. "Stop this madness, right now!" he commanded.  
  
Snape grabbed her by her arms and forced her to look at him. He was shocked to notice that she really had a deranged look in her eyes, eyes from which tears still trickled down on a bloodstained face.  
  
"Dear Merlin!"  
  
Snape collected her in his arms and, to his surprise, she didn't fight him. Somehting he expected after their last 'encounter'. Sure, he had kissed her, but that moment, which he thought to be a temporary weakness of both him and her, had occurred weeks ago and the more he thought of it, the more it seemed like a surreal fantasy. But he had to admit, it was a nice fantasy to think about and he did remember the exact sweet taste of her lips. Sometimes, when he thought back to that moment, he wasn't so sure whether it had been a passing moment of weakness or not. Because, if you liked to think back to a certain action, you couldn't have done that action in "a temporary state of weakness," could you? Wondering about these things, Severus kept stroking Lierin's head and her back and to his wonder, she relaxed in his arms and allowed herself to lean against his masculine chest. One second she was there and in the next she was gone. She collapsed in his arms and Severus caught her just in time. He set off on a run towards the Hospital Wing and on his way there, he got caught up with Remus who came running back from Lierin's private quarters.  
  
"Dear Merlin! What happened to her?" asked Remus, slightly out of breath. It was quite an achievement to be only 'slightly out of breath' if you figured that Lierin's quarters were at least three miles away from the Hospital Wing - if you counted all the turns and stairs going up and down, that is. Severus only snorted. Remus was fidgeting with his long slender fingers, as if he were anxious to hold Lierin himself.  
  
"She's gone mad - a nut ready to be cracked in the loony bin. She was ramming herself into the wall near the girls' room but first she treated the caretaker with a nice heap of substance that came from her intestines, she smeared it all over the floor while hurling herself against the wall."  
  
Usually, Remus was quite an endearing person; a person you couldn't anger very easily. Also, he was a person who was very loyal to his family and friends - and, well, Lierin was one of his most beloved relatives.  
  
"You really are getting a kick out of this aren't you? You think it's tremendously funny that you get to carry Lierin to the Hospital Wing again. For this, in your -I'm sure- humble opinion, proves that Lierin wasn't fit to teach to begin with."  
  
"Ah, on first name base aren't we? Oh yes, of course. I'd forgotten about your little 'hospital incident.' Silly me."  
  
Severus didn't want to admit it, but he really had forgotten that awful scene he had witnessed in the Hospital Wing. Or maybe he had just wanted to forget it because of the way she had kissed him.  
  
"And you can't stand it, can you?" said Remus, "You can't stand the fact that a 'shabby' old werewolf like me could gain the affection of such a lovely young woman."  
  
"I wouldn't be so confident if I were you. You see, a few months ago, not long after that very tasteless scene you put on, she kissed me."  
  
"She kissed you?"  
  
"Yes, she kissed me."  
  
At first Remus shook his head, convinced this was one of Snape's sick little jokes. But the closer he observed the man who carried his sister, the more convinced Remus got that Snape wasn't joking. By Merlin, what had gotten into his sister that she would allow Snape, of all people, to kiss her? Well, she had admit to him that she felt attracted to the man, but he couldn't believe she would... Unless...  
  
"Right, and by "we kissed" you probably mean that you forced yourself upon her. If that is true Severus, so help me ... No place in hell be safe enough for you!"  
  
"Oh, what does it matter who took the first initiative! The point is we kissed and Lierin didn't seem to object."  
  
"That's Professor Heartilly to you. And hand her over to me, I'll bring her to the Hospital Wing myself!"  
  
"I can manage just fine, thank you."  
  
"Let...her... go...NOW!" Remus cried out, his voice a few tones higher than normal and maybe - slightly - not entirely human. Snape could feel a shiver rapidly running down is spine, as if a hundred little elves, who had been playing in the snow barefooted, were trying to get their feet warm again by running down his vertebral column. Yet, Snape refused to hand over Lierin while they were just one corner away from the Hospital Wing. He knew very well that with that protective gesture, he was indicating something that he himself wasn't entirely sure about, namely that he had stronger feelings for Lierin than he was ready to admit. A quick glance down at her wounded face caused his heart to cringe, the proof was evidently there.  
  
A sly look through his black, greasy curtain to the right of him confirmed that the riot of emotions inside of him hadn't passed by entirely unnoticed, for Lupin observed him with quite an unsettling look in his eyes.  
  
"What is it now, Lupin? I do hope I'm not wearing something that you consider yours."  
  
"No, you're carrying something that I consider mine." Remus almost gave himself away by nearly laughing out loud at the ridiculous look that crossed Snape's face. Snape, on the other hand, was ready to stab Remus down with one of his snide remarks. But, Dumbledore's voice kept him from doing so.  
  
"Oh, thank goodness, you found her! What in the world is going on!"  
  
"I have no idea, Professor Dumbledore. But I was fortunate to arrive just in time. She was going to kill herself by banging herself against a wall near the girl's bathroom."  
  
"That's not like her at all. Why did she leave the Great Hall in the first place and why was she in such a hurry?"  
  
"I don't think she was feeling at all well during breakfast. At least I have every reason to believe so."  
  
"Severus, you were sitting next to her during breakfast, did you notice something... odd about her? Something curious?"  
  
"Well, yes actually. She seemed to be very... absent-minded... during breakfast. She didn't seem to have much of an appetite, but she's been like that a few weeks now. It never got this serious, though. But, considering her conduct this morning, I'd say something scared her immensely. Perhaps she had some sort of premonition, a vision?"  
  
"A vision you say. Curious, very curious." said Dumbledore.  
  
Maybe she had started to remember something - something from the book? But, if she had indeed remembered parts of Rowena's diary, why would she have run off like that? But what if Evoke had evoked long forgotten memories, memories she had tried to forget because they were too horrible, too painful to remember? He didn't have any control about her selective memory. But what had scared her so, IF it had been a vision or a memory, that she would run away from the very image itself?  
  
Snape carried Lierin into the Hospital Wing. Poppy already had a bed prepared for her and was busy with a little bit of this and a little bit of that to make Lierin's stay at the Hospital Wing as comfortable as possible.  
  
"Poor thing," said Poppy Pomfrey as she stroke a lock of hair away from Lierin's bloody face. Soft, painful moans escaped her lips and every now and again Lierin would writhe in bed with a haunted expression on her face.  
  
Dumbledore, Lupin, Snape and Pomfrey were all gathered around her bed with worried expressions on their faces, each person absorbed in their own train of thoughts. Poppy had taken up the delicate task of washing away the blood with a cloth, rinsing it, and repeating the process. Snape drew a sharp breath when the several cuts and bruises became clearly visible. Remus noticed this, of course, and again a quizzical expression appeared in his eyes. One could only wonder what that man was thinking.  
  
"She really needs a good night's sleep. I reckon it will do miracles for her. I'll just give her the Dreamless Potion to make sure she gets her much needed rest. She doesn't need nightmares or bad dreams right now. What happened to her, anyway?" said Poppy.  
  
"No one really knows. She's been in bad shape for several weeks but this morning things really seemed to stagnate. At first, it seemed like she was in some kind of trance and suddenly she just got up and ran away. I found her ramming herself against a wall over and over again. That reminds me, I think it might be a wise thing to warn Mr Filch. You see, Miss Heartilly didn't achieve ... 'her goal'... when she hurried to the girl's room."  
  
"I'll go warn him straight after I can get Professor Heartilly to drink the Dreamless Potion. Here, you can help me a little."  
  
"Of course."  
  
Remus and Dumbledore said nothing. Though Madam Pomfrey and Professor Snape had never been close friends, they had a wonderful understanding when it came to teamwork. Madam Pomfrey disappeared into her office to fetch the Dreamless Potion and Snape knew that she expected him to revive Lierin, for just a moment, so she was able to actually drink the potion. He bent over Lierin, savouring the moment by inhaling her mildly perfumed scent. His long, slender fingers found their way on her forehead and from there, in soft massaging circles, to a delicate spot in her neck. Gently, his fingers pressed against this spot and then traveled upwards again until they found a resting place against her temples. Here, his fingers increased pressure and he found the reaction he had hoped for. Her soft eyelashes fluttered against her skin and slowly her eyes opened. Lierin had trouble focusing and her reactions were slow. She could hear voices around her, but the sounds seemed to come from very far away, they almost seemed to come from another time. Four shadowy figures moved along her bedside, whispering words she didn't comprehend. But she did recall one of the figures to be the tormentor of the young woman in her visions.  
  
"You!" gasped Lierin and she struggled to get up, but soft yet firm hands forced her backwards again. This gesture was followed by another stream of words that went by Lierin unnoticed. The figure she had recognised stood still and moved closer to her bed.  
  
"Why are you so surprised to see me here? Don't you remember..."  
  
"Of course I remember you. You... you are the reason she cried. Because... you were the one who left her."  
  
"Heartilly, what on earth are you ranting about now?" asked the voice in a clearly agitated manner.  
  
"Why did you leave her? She..."  
  
Lierin couldn't speak any further because some sort of potion was administered to her. Her thoughts immediately drifted away from her visions into the direction of a real man, a man of flesh and blood, a man she secretly had come to admire. She made a face at the sour taste of the potion yet managed to create a weak smile.  
  
"Severus, now are you trying to poison me?"  
  
Lierin had said this to herself, unaware of the fact that Severus was standing near her bedside, the latter almost beyond himself with worry and confusion. For, at first, she addressed him as if she were not aware of his identity and then she insulted him by accusing him of poisoning her. He shot a quizzical look in the direction of the headmaster but Dumbledore merely shrugged his shoulders.  
  
"I think it's best if we leave her alone now. I was able to administer the Dreamless Potion, she should be able to get some rest now," said Madam Pomfrey.  
  
Lierin had closed her eyes and considering her regular breathing pattern, Lierin had fallen sound asleep. Gently, but with a voice that didn't allow objections, Madam Pomfrey ushered the men out of the Hospital Wing to leave the patient to her much needed rest. But, as soon as Remus neared the exit, Lierin woke up with a start and called out for Remus with a look of bewilderment in her eyes. Worried, Remus hurried over to her bedside, grabbed her pale and delicate hand in his weather-beaten one, and tried to soothe her with tender words to assure her of his presence. Lierin calmed down a bit. She looked up at Remus and squeezed his hand tightly.  
  
"My notes, I forgot to take them with me... in the library... dangerous information for the children... you must find them. Maybe you can figure out where to look next. We're close, Remus, I can feel it. Find them, a part of the solution is in there somewhere! But... I can't remember."  
  
"Yes, yes of course. Don't worry dearest, you sleep now. Take a rest. Everything will be all right." Remus had no idea what she was talking about, but one thing he did understand, Lierin had been close to a great discovery and the key was in her notes.  
  
Her eyes closed again, and again Lierin drifted away in a peaceful slumber.  
  
Remus rose from the chair beside her bed and turned around to leave the Hospital Wing. There he found Snape still standing near the door. He glared at Remus with quite an enraged look on his face. Remus walked over to the exit but it was clear that Snape didn't have the intention of letting him pass. Remus sighed deeply in an utterly annoyed manner.  
  
"Prey tell me, Severus, what have I done to you this time that I, in your eyes, deserve to die?"  
  
"What was that all about?"  
  
"What was what?"  
  
"Lier... Miss Heartilly called you back and I want to know ... why?"  
  
Remus arched an eyebrow indicating Snape that he had noticed his little slip up. "Severus, why don't you try and learn that not everything is of your damn business and that you really should try not to stick your aberrant crooked nose in everything that doesn't concern you."  
  
Severus face grew pale at first and then a little flushed of excitement. Normally he would have struck back with a snide remark, but in this case he didn't have any right to object, for Remus right. Though he rejected being accused of being an all-round meddler, this case indeed didn't concern him. He just couldn't stand it when he heard Remus consoling Lierin and calling her -heaven forbid- dearest. Yet, Snape would not be insulted without retaliating.  
  
"It's not crooked... it's ... ... aquiline."  
  
With those words Snape rushed away, his only consolation being the fact that, even though he had been insulted and he had been unable to strike back, with his black robes billowing behind him, he was still intimidating. 


	27. Battle between potions

Two very different potions, two potions with two opposite effects administered to one person. That was calling for trouble. No, that was calling for a catastrophe.  
  
The night began peaceful enough, the Dreamless Sleep potion had done its job and Lierin was embraced in a peaceful slumber. But, when she finally entered the realm of dreams, Evoke began to work and soon memories and visions started to poor into her dreams, her thoughts, her mind. But, the just administered Dreamless Sleep potion was still strong and the moment the visions and dreams started to interrupt her peaceful slumber, it forced them to the back of her mind again. Peace at last, or at least for a short while, until Evoke was able to override the Dreamless Sleep potion again. The dreams and visions came back, stronger than before, just to be pushed back again by the Dreamless Sleep potion. The two potions battled each other, neither bound to give up soon or easily, and both tormenting Lierin in her sleep until she awoke with a scream of pain and anguish. The thoughts that tumbled through her mind were incoherent and didn't make a lot of sense. It was as if somewhere in a far dark corner of her mind, a trashbin had been emtied and she now had to view and select every tiny bit again. Every old memory was put back in it's place; good memories, bad memories. Suddenly the giant trashbin was gone, and so were the dreams and the memories. For a moment Lierin sat in her bed, confused and disoriented accompanied with the mother of all headaches. She got out of bed, shuffled towards the lavatory and splashed her face with refreshing cool water. She looked up into the small mirror, which wisely kept its mouth shut, and tried to shed the cobwebs from the empty dusty space in her mind. Suddenly, without a warning, horrible images tumbled in, and, not matter where she looked and how she turned, they were still there, haunting her, tormenting her. She closed her eyes and opened them again and saw the reflection of one of her nightmares grimacing back at her. A scream of anguish struggled out of her throat, just before she collapsed to the ground. And then, as sudden is they had come, they were gone. Her mind was her own once again. Lierin struggled to get up from the floor, ignoring a fresh bruise on her left knee, there was only one thing left in her mind. Severus, I need to go to Severus. He can help, at least if he wants to.  
  
Once outside her private quarters, Lierin for the first time cursed the fact that Severus' private quarters were situated so far from hers. One glance in the direction of the dark isolated hallways and her resolve melted like snow in the sun. The walls started to dance in front of her eyes, or was that because she was swaying on her feet? She didn't know and she certainly didn't care, she only cared about how she could reach his chambers as soon as possible. It's only a matter of placing one foot in front of the other, she thought to herself, and forced herself to walk. And so began her journey to Severus' private quarters, a journey through Hogwarts filled with pain, anguish and confusion. The two potions were still enticed in a harsh battle deep inside of her and were either allowing her to continue her weak attempt to reach Severus or caused her to writhe in pain. Finally she reached the familiar stone steps that led to the classroom and past that to his private chambers. Just a few more steps, it won't be long now, Lierin encouraged herself and forced herself to continue, she could already faintly see the door to his bedchamber. She had to make haste now, she could already feel the tranquility of the Dreamless Sleep potion fade away and after that it wouldn't be long before the pain would be back again. She knew that if she couldn't reach Severus before that, she wouldn't be able to reach him at all, she was at the end of her strength. But it was right at his door that her body finally gave in, and she slumped forward against it with a loud thud.  
  
A short moment later the door flew wide open, Snape bewildered standing in the doorway with only a pair of black trousers on. With the solid support of the door gone, Lierin collapsed forward and straight into Snape's arms. Too shocked to utter a single sound, Snape glanced down at the warm female body that was suddenly in his arms. He quickly looked up to see if someone else had noticed what just had occured. And finally, after convincing himself no one else was present, he lifted Lierin up and closed the door. He hurried into the room where he usually passed his spare time, and ran towards a flight of stairs. He carried Lierin into his bedroom and placed her small figure in his large four-poster bed.  
  
"Well, let's see what's wrong with you... Lierin, can you hear me?"  
  
Snape got no reaction, he tried again but still she didn't react.  
  
"Lierin, for the love of Merlin, woman! Speak up!" And Snape slapped her in the face. Her eyes flew wide open and Snape immidiately noticed the thick haze of pain in them. Whatever was going on, it was serious.  
  
"Severus, please... help me... something is wrong, inside my head..."  
  
There she stopped again because another wave of pain and tormenting images overwhelmed her. She writhed underneath the cool silky blankets and worried Snape tried to keep her calm. She was in no condition to tell him what was wrong with her, so he needed to run a few tests to determine the cause of her ailment. He gingerly touched his right leg, right above his boot and he felt the contours of Lierin's gift, the knife of Bia, which he kept close to him at all times. Carefully he took the knife from its hiding place, and once more he marveled at the beauty and the cruelty of it. Then, without any sign of hesitation, Snape deeply cut her in one of her hands, and squeesed it to let the blood drip into a small vial he had taken from one of his pockets. With quick expertise he then treated the fresh cut and left for his study. It wasn't a very difficult task to do, not with his years of experience and his knowledge, and after just a few simple tests he already found out that Lierin was under the influence of two or more potions. His large nose was very helpful determining the aroma's and after a short half an hour, he was writing down the key ingredients used in the potions and soon he discovered the usage of the Dreamless Sleep potion. But that one he knew about, hadn't he helped Poppy administering the potion himself? The other ingredients formed only one more potion. Snape already had a suspicion, and though he really didn't need to, he looked up the right potionsbook to confirm his suspicions. He quickly ran his finger through the index, found the right page and the right formula. He furrowed his brows and quickly closed the book. He was right. The potion Evoke had been used, and much more than the general prescribed dose. And together with the Dreamless Sleep potion... a cry of anguish shook him from his thoughts and with a paled look on his face Snape hurried back to his bedroom. He flung the blankets from bed and gathered Lierin in his arms. She was deathly pale and she rolled with her eyes. Cold sweat was trickling down her face while severe spasms made her shake uncontrolably. The first signs were there, he didn't have a moment to lose. He sat off at a run while he wondered how many times he had carried her to the Hospital Wing by now. The woman really must have broken somekind of record!  
  
"Poppy, prepare a bed again for Miss. Heartilly!" cried Snape from afar.  
  
Madam Pomfrey shot out of bed like a lightning bolt at his first cry and quickly grabbed for her robe. She didn't know what was going on now, but she trusted Snape blindly, even though Professor Heartilly was supposed to already be in bead. She hurried to the ward to Professor Heartilly's bed and found it empty. Of course. She quickly pulled the covers away so Snape could easily lay her back into bed.  
  
"What's wrong with her?" asked Madam Pomfrey when Snape rushed into the room, carrying Professor Heartilly in his arms.  
  
"Potion-poisoning, Poppy, two potions have been administerd to her with exact opposite effects."  
  
"She got the Dreamless Sleep potion from me, what other potion was used?"  
  
Snape glared at her.  
  
"Evoke."  
  
"Dear Merlin!" cried Madam Pomfrey, and, had she been a religous person, she would have made a cross sign with her fingers.  
  
"Inform the headmaster, Poppy, I want to give her the Cleansing potion with his permission."  
  
"Consider it done, Severus," said Madam Pomfrey and she hurried away. Snape stayed with Lierin at her bedside, and allowed himself to run his hand over her sweaty forehead and he stroke a few damp strands of hair away. Lierin stirred under this gentle caress and softly her eyes fluttered open. Snape noticed that the thick haze in her eyes wasn't so obvious anymore, but he knew the peace wouldn't last.  
  
"Severus..."  
  
Her voice sounded so weak.  
  
"I'm here, Lierin, don't worry. You'll be all better soon, I promise."  
  
"Severus, the poem... it was not complete. Remus was just..." Lierin faltered and didn't seem able to continue.  
  
"Remus was just, what? Lierin, come on. Stay with me now."  
  
"... was just kidding around. It wasn't complete, Severus... Sybill knows... she knows the words. The last words of the poem... and her premonition... are the same. Remember? Remember Remus poem."  
  
Severus had no idea what she was talking about, and he couldn't ask her because she was unconscious again. He did know that, to understand what she was trying to say, he had to work together with... heaven forbid... Remus.  
  
________________________________________________________________ 


	28. Revelations

The First Revelation  
  
Soon Madam Pomfrey was back with Professor Dumbledore right behind her. Remus followed in as well. The two young men shot angry glares at each other, without uttering a single word. Remus just took in Severus' naked torso with obvious disdain. Severus just raised his eyebrow and silently dared Remus to make a comment.  
  
"What's going on, prey tell, Severus? I'm afraid Poppy was too much out of breath to tell me." "Of course. Miss..."  
  
Dumbledore looked at Snape just over the brim of his spectacles. Snape cleared his throat.  
  
"Professor Heartilly has a severe case of potion-poisoning. Two potions have been administered to her with two opposite effects. One of them being the Dreamless Sleep potion."  
  
Dumbledore started to feel a bit nervous. Certainly Severus couldn't be implying that... but Snape's next worst distroyed his faint hope.  
  
"... and the other one being Evoke. And I wasn't the one who gave it to her, nor was I the one who supplied someone else with that potion. In fact, it has been several years since I last made it."  
  
"Well, you are quite eager to prove your innocence. Maybe you're not so innocent at all," sneered Remus.  
  
"And what, exactly, might you be implying with that, Lupin?" asked Snape with a deadly voice.  
  
"I'm just saying you are a bit too eager to me to convince the headmaster of your innocence. If not from you, where else did that potion come from?"  
  
"How should I know? For all I care you were the one who gave it to her, or maybe she got Evoke herself. Heaven knows you've both been searching the library for some unknown, dark reason. Maybe you used Evoke to jog her memory for some reason related to whatever it is you are searching for."  
  
Dumbledore was startled at the accuracy of those words. He would have to keep a fine balance here.  
  
"Come come, children. There's no need to argue. I'm sure that Severus already has the solution for our problem at hand." Dumbledore's voice sounded hopeful.  
  
"Actually, I just mentioned to Poppy that with your permission, I'd like to use a Cleansing potion." His voice sounded hesitant and Dumbledore wondered why.  
  
"A Cleansing potion? A potion that will neutralise both the other potions?"  
  
"Simply put that way... yes. But we have to act quickly, the longer we wait, the more dangerous it gets."  
  
"The more... dangerous? Isn't there another solution, another potion that's not dangerous?"  
  
At this moment, he couldn't help himself, Snape felt a bit of disdain towards the older wizard. He knew very well that he shouldn't blame Dumbledore for not knowing, after all, this was highly advanced potions talk, but the fact that Dumbledore showed this much lack of knowledge in the field of potions, made Snape feel a bit superior... and a little annoyed.  
  
"No, headmaster. There is not. It's going to be critical enough as it is. The Dreamleass Sleep potion and Evoke are each others antipodes. The first represses dreams and memories, the latter evokes them. The ingredients in both potions are very strong and are continuously batteling each other, building up an immense pressure in her brain, until the point the pressure gets too high, and..."  
  
"Than you should give her the Cleansing potion right away!" insisted Remus.  
  
"It's not that simple, Lupin. Poppy, why don't you explain, maybe he'll take it from you." said Snape, his voice broken and weary. Madam Pomfrey sighed deeply.  
  
"You can't relieve all the pressure at once, you might cause severe braindamage that way. It has to be administered in certain doses, so the pressure is released slowly and evenly. All in all, it might take a few weeks until she is completely recovered, if the procedure succeeds that is."  
  
Dumbledore paled visible and staggered slightly. Madam Pomfrey shot forward to support him.  
  
"A few weeks? By Merlin, we don't have that long," whispered Dumbledore.  
  
Snape shot a quizzical look at Remus, but he just shrugged his shoulders.  
  
"Are you sure?" Is there no other way?  
  
It almost sounded like a plea. "I'm afraid not, Professor Dumbledore."  
  
"Than I suggest you hurry up and start the treatment. This instant! We already lost too much time!"  
  
Dumbledore left them alone with those words. Madam Pomfrey eyed Snape nervously and wrenched her hands.  
  
"Severus, I... I don't have... I mean, it's been years ago since..."  
  
"Don't worry, Poppy. If I'm not mistaken there should be some in my private supply. What's left is for you, in case you should need it again," said Snape softly.  
  
"Thank you, Severus," said Madam Pomfrey relieved, not only because Snape had the potion, but also because he didn't scold her for not having it.  
  
________________________________________________________________  
  
In the meantime, Lierin was completely oblivious to what happened at her bedside. Oblivious to the comforting hand of her brother, soothing her face. Oblivious to the care of Madam Pomfrey and oblivious to Snape gently administrating the first doses of the Cleansing Potion. It did help, it did sooth her. Now that the sharp edges of the Dreamless Sleep potion and Evoke were gone, Lierin was yet again engrossed in a very vivid dream but without the horrifying images.  
  
A soft gentle breeze was playing with her hair while she watched huge foreboding clouds draw neerer, with eerie purple and green swirls of myst through them. She knew what they were and she wasn't afraid. They were the Clouds of Time. She vaguely remembered that there was something important about them. At least she remembered writing something down about them. The Clouds of Time. The only means of time travelling, allowing you to relive a certain period but without effecting the outside world, unless you fullfill the reason why the clouds were summoned at the first place. Theoratically speaking because according to her the clouds were never summoned before. Still she recognised the clouds as just that. But wasn't this her dream? Her vision? Allowing her to make them look whatever she wanted them to look like?  
  
Looking down she realised she was standing atop one of the turrets of a castle. Hogwarts. It wasn't old current day Hogwarts, but the very first one. The grounds of the newly founded school stretched out in front of her for as far as her eyes could see. Students were playing outside, checking the surroundings far below. A soft smile played around her lips and she breathed in the fresh air of an agreeable summer afternoon. She closed her eyes to relish the vaguely familiar feeling of pride, enthusiasm and anticipation and when she opened them again to look at the horizon, the clouds were gone. She looked down at her golden robes and her white, silver- rimmed tunic. They looked very chique on her and gave her the look of someone important. She clasped her hands together behind her back and turned around to finish her rounds.  
  
As she made her way down the several flights of stairs, she first encounterd a long thin man, with long jet-black hair. He wore a sour expression on his face, which softened somewhat when he got her in his sight. He winked at her as he strolled by and a huge grin appeared on Lierin's face as she turned around to watch him ascend the stairs. His emerald green robes flowed behind him and a large candle in the staircase illuminated a beautiful embroidered silver snake on his back.  
  
On her way through the brightly-lit hallways, she soon neared two women walking in the same direction as her at a leisurly pase. They were talking animatedly with each other. One woman was a short chubby looking witch with shoulder length brown hair, wearing a yellow gown with an embroidered silver badger on her back. The other woman was taller and leaner, with gorgeous straw-blonde manes, wearing a marine silver-rimmed gown with an embroidered silver raven on her back. Lierin greeted them politely and they brightly greeted back before they resumed their conversation.  
  
It was a long trip through the huge castle before she finally reached the outdoors. She walked through the gardens surrounding the school, and once and again a student greeted her with respect. Finally she reached her destination. A peaceful spot near a large crystal blue lake. She sat down on a sweet looking bench and pulled her knees up. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder but it didn't startle her. She turned around and smiled to a handsome young wizard dressed in bright orange robes.  
  
"Don't be late for our meeting," said the handsome wizard before he turned around, reveiling a large silver lion on his back. Lierin smiled and rested her head on her knees, silently watching the serenity of the lake. On her back too was a large silver embroidery. That of a large shining sun and a moon, merged into one magnificent design.  
  
________________________________________________________________  
  
It was night, the time that students were supposed to be in bed. Keyword; supposed. Though no one was to be seen, the soft pitter-patter of feet could clearly be heard through the isolate hallways. Someone was sneeking around using an invisibility cloak. Clearly, someone was afraid of being detected. In pursuit of the two small house-elves wandering through the hallways maybe? A door opened and slyly the creatures slid in and so did the imposter under the invisibility cloak. The two house-elves closed the door and quietly weant to work, and the imposter watched them from a short distance, carefully making sure not to get caught. The elves cleaned the entire room and finally they started to tidy up the large wooden desk.  
  
"Oh, it's a real shame it is, Purgy," said the smallest of elves.  
  
"What is, Yawnie?" asked the other one gently.  
  
"Look, a small poem, but half of it is missing."  
  
"Then it rubbish it is, you can throw that away."  
  
The imposter listened with interest and felt sorry for the small elf whose ears drooped a little. Quietly she threw the scrap of paper away and started to sort out the large stack of papers on the corner of the desk. Suddenly her ears straightend again.  
  
"Look, Purgy, it's the other half of the poem it is. Yawnie is sure about it."  
  
Purgy cast an uninterested glance at the other small scrap of paper and shrugged his shoulders.  
  
"I'll will fix it for the Professor. Professor Heartilly will be very pleased if she sees it's fixed again."  
  
"The poem wasn't torn apart for no reason, Yawnie. You should throw it away."  
  
"If it was so it was torn for a reason, than it would have been thrown away for the same reason. Yawnie will fix it anyway."  
  
Purgy sighed and shrugged his shoulders.  
  
"Fine, you fix it then. Now hurry, there's still a lot to do there is, in the castle."  
  
Yawnie wriggled her nose with glee and snapped her fingers. The first scrap of paper dissapeared from the trashbin and appeared next to the other. The large rip between them dissappeared and suddenly Yawnie was holding a neatly written poem in her hands. Carefully she laid it atop of the stack with other papers and parchments and quietly she left the room with Purgy.  
  
The imposter removed the cloak and suddenly Hermione Granger appeared in the middle of Professor Heartilly's study, releasing the breath she'd been holding. Carefully Hermione left a notebook on the desk. She had been meaning to give it to the Professor in person, but she had already been a week in the Hospital Wing. She could have given it to Professor Lupin of course, or Professor Dumbledore, but she was afraid they would notice she had been reading in it, while it was none of her business. Still, the questions remained in her mind. Why was Professor Heartilly jotting down notes about time-travelling? Why had she accentuated the part about the Clouds of time? What were they anyway? Why had she largely put the words: Grim, Beast, Sun and Moon and Severe soul in the notes? And why were there question marks behind those words?  
  
Without intending to, her eyes fell on the poem on top of the papers. Curiously and with trembling fingers, Hermione picked it up and read the poem.  
  
When the Beast is released from blame When the Grim is freed from shame When Sun and Moon are merged in one When she and the severe soul come together This shall be your token The power of the other shall be broken  
  
Understanding dawned in her mind. Still, she wanted to make sure she was right. Not that she had a clue about what was going on, but she did know where to find a prophecy that used the same key words as in the poem. Maybe Rowena Ravenclaw's diary could tell her more. Quietly she slipped out of the study and dissappeared right back under the cover of the invisibility cloak.  
  
Five people were seated behind a large dark oak diamondshaped table, in what seemed to be a large throneroom. Five different coloured drapes flowed down behind each person, each embroidered with a magnificent looking animal, except for a drape embroidered with a large sun-moon design.  
  
Each person was wearing a robe uniform to the drape behind him or her. At the head of the table sat a handsome young wizard with golden-brown manes cascading down his broad shoulders, dressed in his bright orange robes, looking very serious and solemn at a piece of parchment in front of him. There was a woman seated to either side of him; the woman on the left wearing dark blue robes and the woman to his right wearing canary yellow robes. Both of them were very stern and dertemined looking, and both stared at some imaginitive point right in front of them. Sitting at the right hand of the woman in yellow, sat a man in forest green robes; his face was rested in his hands and an unholy dark stare in his beetle-black eyes betrayed his annoyance. To his right sat Lierin, feeling very nervous and deliberately avoiding the annoyed glances that the other two women shot at her every once and again. The atmosphere in the room wasn't a friendly one. A storm was brewing. After tonight, nothing would ever be the same again.  
  
"I think that we have reached an impasse here. All decisions should be taken unanimous and until this evening, we have always succeeded in that field. We have faced and countered many differences, always able to somehow find a golden solution. But, if all parties remain with their belief..."  
  
"We do!" said three people in union. All agreed, save one.  
  
"Lierin, you must give us your opinion, right now."  
  
"Goderic, I..." Lierin sighed, "You ask me to take a side in a war, because this is not just a common disagreement anymore. If I take a side, I lose one or even more friends, esteemed colleagues."  
  
"Don't forget your sworn duty, Lierin. We all agreed that when it might come to this choice, school or friend, school comes first. That is were your duty lies and your responsibility. Now, where do you stand in this matter?"  
  
"I... can understand Salazar's point of view. We are not just any school for witchcraft and wizardry. We train the elite, the crème de la crème, the bees knees, to create a powerful army against the Dark Lord. The magic that runs through the veins of pureblooded students is usually stronger than that of none-pureblooded students. Salazar is merely afraid of weaker students due to a weak bloodline..."  
  
Goderic Gryffindor crossed his arms and a defensife look appeared in his eyes. The other two witches, none other than Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff, shot angry glares in the direction of Lierin. Salazar seemed very pleased with the turn of events and placed his bony fingers together.  
  
Lierin hesitated before she continued. "However..."  
  
Salazar furrowed his eyebrows and Goderic, Rowena and Helga held their breaths in anticipation.  
  
"... I can't deny that some of our none-pureblooded students show an extremely high talent in the crafts of magic and they shouldn't be denied the chance to study here at Hogwarts. There are still far more pureblooded families than there are none-pureblooded families and I think that the weakening in the magic flow is a worry for the future. So, the way I feel in this matter..."  
  
Here Lierin closed her eyes and sighed deeply, for she knew she was about to lose an appreciated friend.  
  
"... is that, though we should never underestimate the dangers of weakening bloodlines, we should not deny talented none-pureblooded students the chance to study at Hogwarts."  
  
Goderic, Rowena and Helga sighed in relief. Lierin was with them, thank heavens. Hopefully this would aid them in pursuading Salazar. Last mentioned person remained still in his seat. He too had hoped for Lierin's support. Them being close friends and young Snape's, Lierin's boyfriend, open admiration for him, had only convinced him in the matter that she would choose his side. Together they would have succeeded in convincing the others of the importance of only teaching the pure of blood. But now... now that she had turned against him... Well, he couldn't blame her of course, he certainly didn't hold it against her, she just wasn't made of the right material to fight headstrong Goderic, determined Rowena and plain stubborn Helga. Well, he knew what he had to do. He only had one option and it sure as hell wasn't giving up.  
  
"Well, I suppose you all want to make this unanimous?"  
  
"Salazar..." Goderic said apologetic.  
  
"Do not interrupt me!" Salazar spat, "You want to make this unanimous, I will make that very easy for you. I'm leaving. Tonight." With those words Salazar got up and stalked out of the room.  
  
"Salazar!" Goderic cried in dismay, for he too was losing a dear friend. Or at least they used to be friends before this... this... idiotic dispute.  
  
"Goderic!" Rowena called Goderic back in line, who was half way up from his seat, and put her hand on his shoulder to force him back down.  
  
"Leave him, Goderic, he's made up his mind, there's nothing you can do!"  
  
"But we need him to be here when Voldemort decides to attack again! He belongs here, he created the copy of the Goblet of Might with us!"  
  
"I know you used to be friends and when we defeat Voldemort we'll make sure he gets his place in history. But the goblet is finished, the elixir of life is waiting inside it for us to drink, thanks to Salazar I grant him. Thanks to him the Potion of Spirits isn't needed in our copy of the Goblet of Might. But that's it, we've done our part and he's done his part. This is were the road seperates us. Let it go."  
  
Goderic didn't reply as he watched the last slip of Salazar's robes dissappear out of sight.  
  
A tear rolled down Lierin's cheek. It had been three days after the horrendous clash between the two potions. Snape and Madam Pomfrey took excellent care of her and repeatedly treated her with the right amount of Cleansing Potion. The potion did its work marvellously and slowly the sharp edges of both the potions vanished. The Cleansing Potion allowed the other two potions their work at a controled pace, and Lierin found herself recalling more and more of another lifetime. Though a faint understanding was forming in her head, she didn't allow herself to think much past her newfound memories. Determined to find out what exactly was going on, Lierin kept the newfound knowledge to herself, holly convinced it was up to her to solve the mystery around Hogwarts.  
  
*********************************************************** On Saturday morning, a new Hogsmeade weekend awaiting, almost every student (third years and older) thundered down the stairs to leave for Hogsmeade. Almost every teacher went out for Hogsmeade as well. Except for Lierin. The time she had spent in the hospital had enabled her to contemplate certain aspects of the current events. Now she was back in her study sorting out the big mess on her desk and in a way the even larger mess in her head. To her great surprise, her notepad was back, but not in the place where she had left it. She had left it in the library, but now it was back in her study, on her desk. She knew for certain that Remus hadn't been the one to put it there. He certainly would have mentioned it. She could only guess who had been bold enough to breech the wards of her private quarters to return a personal notebook.  
  
Hermione Granger. That name was the first to pop into her mind.  
  
She didn't spend much time on that matter though, because an even bigger surprise was awaiting her.  
  
Neatly on top of all her papers, was the lost poem out of Rowena Ravenclaw's dairy. But even more astonishing, it was complete. The moment her eyes caught sight of the poem, her heart started to hammer in her throat. With trembling hands she carefully lifted the paper from the stack and read the words written on the ancient piece of parchment. With a puzzled look in her eyes, she read the lines again and again and again, until finally the meaning of it dawned to her. The poem spoke of the exact same persons as Rowena Ravenclaw had mentioned in her diary! With a puzzled look in her eyes, she read the lines again until finally a few more bits of the proverbial puzzle fell into place.  
  
Before the Clouds of Time, she and her companions had searched for the Goblet of Might, but never found it. Convinced they were able to do so; they had created a goblet themselves. Goderic had chosen and found the goblet. Helga had enchanted the goblet. Salazar had produced the Elixir of Life when the Potion of Spirits was no longer needed thanks to Helga's enchantment. Rowena had forged a magical setting and Lierin was the one carrying the one item that could activate it, the original Nightfall's Gain or - the Dark Ruby-. They had wanted to drink the Elixir from the goblet, feeding it to all their students as well, and fight Voldemort in what was to be the grimmest war ever to have taken place.  
  
But something must have gone wrong. If they had been able to conquer Voldemort, Lierin wouldn't be here right now inside the barrier of the Clouds, there wouldn't be a reason for her to be here. So, that meant, that whatever had gone wrong outside the barrier, it had something to do with her, Remus and Severus. Somehow, the four founders had guided them back to Hogwarts. But for what reason?  
  
Lierin again looked at the words scribbled on the parchment. By now she knew the words by heart.  
  
When the Beast is released from blame When the Grim is freed from shame When Sun and Moon are merged in one When she and the severe soul come together This shall be your token The power of the other shall be broken  
  
When Sun and Moon are merged in one... Lierin looked up, she could still hear Trelawney's words... the child from sun and moon. And another voice, a voice from long ago, echoed in her head:  
  
"Well, you don't have to worry about your parentage, Lierin," said Goderic laughingly, "You have the most noble parents of all with the Sun as your mother and the Moon as your father. You may belie your heritage, but your hair can't. But seriously, why don't you let the bodies of the heavens be the sign of your house? It fits perfectly, you will be linked to those, who are noble of heart, gentle in their ways and an inspiration to others in times of need, when it really matters."  
  
Goderic... When had he said those words? Wasn't it in the first week when they discussed the way in which they would run the school? When each of them had to choose a sign to represent their house?  
  
Lierin picked up her hair and studied the unusual mixture of her bright golden and pale silky manes. When Sun and Moon are merged in one... Her eyes traveled back to the poem. Dear Merlin, it was referring to them! She read the poem again, and in her opinion it made perfect sense. The Beast; Remus, victim of a diabolical decease that robbed him of everything that made him human once in a month. When Sun and Moon are merged one; herself with the unusual strands of hair, partly spun by the last rays of the sun and the first rays of the moon. When she and the severe soul come together; Severus, a man with a severe soul, chastised by destiny for a mistake he made in his years of youth and naivity. But the poem spoke of a fourth person, the Grim. Who was this Grim? She had to find him because all four of them formed the key to the solution of Hogwarts Mystery.  
  
Lierin read the line again about 'she and the severe soul' and she threw her head back in laughter. Destiny really was a bitch sometimes. According to this poem, she and Severus belonged to each other. Destiny had placed the key to her happiness in the hands of the one man who could not, would not love. But after just a few barks of laughter, the smile around her lips died a painful death, when sadness pulled them into somber line. Hadn't they been together as well when she was still one of Hogwarts founders? When he held the position of his now so desired duty as a teacher of Defense against the Dark Arts? They had been happy then...if only for a short period of time. What had happened between them? Lierin furrowed her eyebrows. She couldn't quite remember, only that she had been very... very... very angry with him. 


	29. For the love of Snape

For those who reviewed, many thanks. I know I've never put in a personal thank you note, but know they are greatly appreciated. For those who have stuck with the story nonetheless, we are nearing the end now so please be patient.

**Shadow of the Jyuunishi : **thank you for you  review, I hope you haven't died by now, I hope this next update meets your expectations.

**Elvesmagic010: **Hi there waves can't wait to begin the crossover, this story is almost done so I should be able to invest all my time in our new project. Make sure to update Last Chance soon.

For those who are interested, Elvesmagic and I are planning to create a crossover, intended as a sequel to her stories as well as this one. For those who haven't read Eyes of Grey, Soul of Steel yet, go do so now! It's a wonderfull RL/OC story.

**For the love of Snape**

Severus was working on a potion... for Lierin... Blast it! He had noticed how her leg was troubling her a lot lately and now he was busy making a new batch of Pain relieving potions. He was getting soft. He was getting old.

_"By the way, I'd rather be with a three-legged man with pointy horns and a hairy tail before I'd even consider being with you!"_

His lips twisted in anger when that memory briefly crossed his mind. He hated her for saying that... and yet he cared for her for a reason still unknown to him.

But he was planning for revenge. He didn't know how, he didn't know when... but the day would come he'd make her crystal clear that Severus Snape was not a person to toy with. And hadn't done Lierin anything else lately? Toy with him? Pushing him away, inviting him in, pushing him away again. It was time that little witch learnt a small lesson.

Then why was he cooking up new potions for her? He watched the stirring movements of his hand with a sour look on his face. Bash the potion up then? No, that was no option. He was too proud of his own expertise. Give it to Poppy? She would be grateful. No, that was no option either, for more than just a few reasons. Maybe he could keep it in his private stock?  No, no, that wouldn't do either. Snape gazed into the potion. _Oh what the hell_, he thought, _just admit it. You _want_ her to have the potion, you _want_ her to know you did that for her. _Unaware of the other presence in the dungeon, Severus silently kept working on the potion. His mind drifting to Lierin's mysterious words and the feeling that something curious was going on. He had pushed those thoughts aside the moment Lierin had been up and running again, plus his determination to join forces with Lupin to find out what for Merlin's sake was going on.

He kept staring at his potion with an awful pained expression in his eyes. Lierin watched him working, taking in every line of his face, watching his graceful motions, completely awed in the realisation that he was her future.

His defences were down and for a moment Lierin could see the man within.

A broken man haunted by his past, a past that never would leave him alone. Absentmindedly he pulled up the sleeve of his left hand and rubbed the lower part of his arm. Even from this distance, Lierin could see the sinister dark branded in his flesh but it didn't shock her as much as she had expected.

She didn't see a former Deatheater, a former servant of the Dark Lord. She only saw his loneliness, his desperation and his shattered soul, shattered by what he had done and witnessed so many years ago. Finally, with his guards down, Lierin understood that his sarcasm and his hate and his nasty demeanor had been his only means of surviving under the Dark Lord and he hadn't been able to act differently since.

_Severus_, she thought, _there is so much about you that I still have to learn_.

So many wounds, so many of them still open. But they belonged together, she knew and maybe if she'd love him enough, he would be able to heal. Someday. Lierin cleared her throat to get his attention. Snape's head snapped up and he quickly pulled his sleeve down. Too late, Lierin thought to herself with a wry smile.

"And what might you be doing here?" Snape asked with snarl.

Ah, so Snape was his usual lovely self again, Lierin thought amused. Well, I have a surprise for you mister; you don't fool me anymore.

"I've come to thank you for your wonderful present. She's lovely, simply beautiful."

"I'm sure I have no idea what you're rambling about. Now, if you'll excuse me, unlike some of us I have work to do."

"You can quit the act, I'm not in the mood!" Lierin said sharply, "I never got around to thank you for Velvet since I've been a bit 'preoccupied' lately, but there it is. Thanks."

"Velvet?" Snape was obviously puzzling his mind what on earth she was rambling about now… exactly the distraction that Lierin needed to close the gap between them and to gently caress his face with her fingers. He quickly pulled away from her, sensing the change in her disposition and not feeling entirely comfortable about it.

"Don't," said Snape, "You don't know what you are doing."

"I think I know exactly what I am doing," said Lierin, feeling the tension between them build. She grabbed his face with her two hands this time and forced him to look into her eyes.

Severus stared into those translucent eyes that she inherited from the entity Crejy and shivered at the familiarty of them. Her eyes were more enticing now than they had ever seemed as a familiar emotion swirled around in them. Long forgotten and forbidden parts of his mind and body reacted to her as a soft woven spell enticed them. Lierin found herself staring up into his beetle black eyes and witnessed how shadows of the past were ready to break through the surface. His eyes grew even darker, blacker than black, and suddenly _he_ was there. Tyng Saccakhan.

Suddenly Snape pulled her hands away and tried to escape.

"No, you don't Lierin. No....wait. Lierin, please!" Snape cried out as Lierin pressed her lips against his, completely caught up in the moment. His resolve melted away as the being hidden deep inside him recognised his mate. Both entities awakened and, even if they had wanted to resist, they weren't able to do so. A part of Crejy still living inside Lierin was explainable, but Lierin vaguely wondered how on earth it was possible that Tyng Saccakhan resided in Severus, as he had never summoned the entity inside the Barrier. 

Soon however, there was no time and no want to think, just to act. Looking back on the events, Lierin couldn't remember how they had reached Snape's sleeping quarters, but suddenly they were there and it never mattered how they'd gotten there. Lierin's skin turned pale blue and her eyes grew from semi-translucent to completely translucent. She opened her eyes and only saw the unholy blackness of Tyng Saccakhan staring down at her. She shivered and knew that at this moment, Tyng wasn't looking at her, but at Crejy. A transition took place as passion was exchanged and ancient magic built around them. Garments were taken off but they never dropped on the ground, kisses were shared but never broken, they were there but at the same time they weren't there. They were trapped in eternity, trapped in another plane of existence solely understood by the two entities, while their hosts were left defenseless, bare and vulnerable. Tension built as the two entities got reaquainted with each other's physique until a tidalwave of emotions threatened to overwhelm them and their hosts. They tasted as much of each other as they possibly could, clinging to each other and holding on for dear life, until they both finally erupted in a massive scream of release, allowing Snape and Lierin to return to their normal states of mind.  

"I never experienced anything like that," Lierin whispered, "Thank you."

After what seamed forever, Lierin woke up from what she thought to be a heavenly dream. A bit dissappointed she tried to roll over but soon discovered she was trapped in a very warm and sensual embrace. Snape was clinging to her, even in his sleep and a warm smile lit up Lierin's face. She traced the lines of his face with her finger and she smiled happily to see the tranquil state of her lover.

They layed there for a long time, while enjoying the intimacy they now shared. He looked so peaceful lying there. There were no hard lines in his face, no coldness in his expression, no anger and no remorse. He looked so peaceful and gentle as he slumbered, in her eyes every inch of him was was beautiful. Finally, at long last, Lierin allowed herself to admit how much she really cared for him, how much she needed him and how important he was in her life as he always had been. As she looked down at his slumbering form, she thought how it was hardly comprehensable that years ago he was her tutor. Who would have guessed that once he would also be her lover? She also thought how it was even less comprehensable that in an entirely different time she had been above him. With Severus sleeping, she indulged herself and placed a delicate hand on his muscular chest and couldn't help but remembering that first evening, when he had pulled her up against his chest and had stirred such a riot of emotions in her. Tired but utterly satisfied, Lierin layed her head on his chest and she too drifted away in peaceful slumber.

 She didn't know for how long they remained that way, but suddenly Severus' eyes flew wide open and he nearly knocked her over when getting up quickly. One startled look in his eyes and Lierin could tell that the cold and harsh Severus Snape was back. Her hand flew to her throat and with dread she wondered what was about to happen and how much he would hurt her.

She watched him as he quickly got himself dressed and wondered what had gotten into him. He finally buttoned his wizard's robes and Lierin watched in disbelief as he headed to the door of his private tower. Was he going to leave her just like that?

Near the door he at last took the dignity to turn around and treat her with his coolest of stares yet.

"Well, well, well. So far for your three-legged, pointy eared, hairy tailed monster theory."

"My what?"

"What, you don't remember your own words? Tssk, you should know better, my dear. Watch what you are saying, it might be held against you."

Realising something had gone horribly wrong, Lierin tried to fight back her tears, knowing she needed to convince Severus they belonged to each other.

"Severus, I have know idea what you are talking about. If I ever said anything in the past that caused you grief, I apologise from the bottom of my heart but please believe me..."

"Believe you? Sure. Of course. With pleasure. Why not? You have always been a very trustworthy and reliable person, haven't you?"

"Please, listen to me. Current events have led me to believe that..."

"Current events have led you to believe? Since when do you let yourself be guided by current events? Ah yes, you always do. I forgot. That of course proves why one time you're romancing the camp wolf and why the next you're offering yourself to me. By Merlin, how many men have you had?"

"Is that your grief? Remus? That silly poem he recited? Severus, he was just kidding around. We found a poem that wasn't complete and Remus decided to recreate it into his own little version. We are not lovers, he's my..."

"Perhaps, but that's not what I wanted to prove, now is it? I wanted to prove something else, I wanted to prove you wrong, and your clothes on the floor and the tears in your eyes prove me right."

"Prove you right? What do you mean?" Lierin almost started to cry. Why couldn't she find the words to make him understand?

"You once told me you'd rather be with a three-legged man with pointy horns and a hairy tail than with me. Like I said, your lack of garments and the tears in your eyes prove otherwise."

"Come on, I was angry! Don't you ever say something you don't mean when you're angry?"

"I once told you before and I'll say it again. I never lie."

"Please, don't do this to us. We belong to each other. It's predicted, don't you remember Trelawney?"

"There is no us. And when will you get it through you're thick skull that the world doesn't revolve around you!"

"Excuse me, but at the moment I do believe it revolves around me! That's what I'm trying to tell you, I once made a mistake but I've been given a chance to redeem myself"

"Ah, of course," snarled Snape and his thin mouth curled into a horrible smile.

"The entire universe has given you a chance to redeem yourself. Why couldn't

I just think of that? Then again, you always have been exceedingly arrogant.

A small amount of talent on the Quidditch pitch and you think you are cut above the rest of us, strutting around this place with Weaselboy!"

"Strutting around? What... on... earth are you talking about!" asked Lierin, nearly choking on the words and her eyes filling with tears at his crualty.

Snape stopped to catch his breath; his jaw had gone rigid with anger.

"When I return, I want you out of my room and I suggest you stay out of my way in the future! How's that for your redemption!" He spat and he walked out of his room.

Lierin was stunned and didn't notice the large tears staining her face. His words drifted back to her.

_"Perhaps, but that's not what I wanted to prove, now is it? I wanted to prove something else, I wanted to prove you wrong, and your clothes on the floor and the tears in your eyes prove me right." _

The exact words as in her vision! Dear Merlin! The man and woman from her vision had been themselves! Lierin started to cry as she realised the full meaning of her visions. Snape leaving her, the murder of Remus, Voldemort getting the Goblet of Might, Voldemort killing Snape. It all happened before and history was about to repeat itself. And it all had happened because of jealousy; Snape's jealousy. The reason what destroyed their relationship back then and the reason why there wouldn't be a relationship now.

Why couldn't he believe that there was nothing going on between her and Remus? Why couldn't he believe that Remus was not trying to seperate them?

And why had he killed Remus for something as insignificant as that? Lierin remembered her vision and how crual her beloved brother had been slaughtered by the man she had once loved. And the worst part, it wasn't just a vision, it had happened and it could happen again!

Soon shattered sobs racked her slender body and tears poured from her eyes as she cried even harder. She forced herself to get up from the bed and she dressed herself as quickly as possible. One last glance over her shoulder and she fled away to her own safe private tower. She knew she couldn't go on. She couldn't, she wouldn't solve the mystery of Hogwarts, not if that meant losing Remus over Snape. She would probably lose him anyway, but if the mystery remained unsolved, the Clouds of Time would dissappear, and at least then, Snape would be dead too...


	30. Quidditch Match and Bad Omens

**Elvesmagic010** : thanks again for your review J Hope you will like this chapter. There are just a few more chapters waiting and then it's finished... Aww.

Note: in this chapter Crookshancks uses Harry's Invisibility cloak to creep under the Whomping Willow. It's bad I know, but since this is an alternative universe I couldn't explain how else Snape appeared with Harry's cloak if it never got near the Whomping Willow in the first place.

For those who haven't read elvesmagic010's stories yet (_Eyes of Grey, Soul of Steel_ and _Last Chance_) please do so now because we are working on a crossover using her character Hana Rowen and my character Lierin Heartilly.

The Easter holidays were not exactly relaxing and the only thing that kept the students going, was the upcoming Gryffindor-Slytherin match which would take place on the first Saturday after the Easter holidays. The entire Gryffindor House was obsessed with the upcoming game for Gryffindor hadn't won the Quidditch Cup since the legendary Charlie Weasley had been Seeker and Lierin Heartilly a Chaser.

Only Lierin wasn't excited about the game, she wasn't excited about anything but no one seemed to notice. She taught her classes, ate her meals and went to sleep, that was it. She stopped talking to everyone, even Remus couldn't get through to her and judging from the grim look on Snape's face, Remus could only guess what was going on.

Lierin knew she couldn't keep on going like this, but she still wasn't sure wether or not she should try and find that infernal goblet and therefore solving the mystery. She very much wanted to resign as a teacher from Hogwarts and just leave. There were still many treasures yet to be discovered and the thrill and danger of it would keep her mind from wondering back to what could have been. Then again, she had no idea how much of the world and treasures would be left after the dissappearance of the clouds. She figured she would just go with the flow, until she would be given a sign, an omen as you wish, that would finally enable her to make up her mind.  

The day of the Quidditch match arrived swiftly and Lierin joined with the Gryffindor supporters. Almost three-quarters of the crowd were wearing scarlet rosettes, waving scarlet flags with the Gryffindor lion upon them. Lierin was wearing a scarlet rosette as well, but she didn't have a flag. Her eyes often wandered to the place behind the Slytherin goalposts where two hundred people were wearing green; the silver serpent of Slytherin glittered on their flags and Professor Snape sat in the very front row, wearing green like everyone else, and a very grim smile.

Each time she set her eyes on him, Lierin could feel a longing in her heart to be there with him, to sit next to him, to be able to touch him even if it meant sitting with the Slytherin supporters. She could feel a tear rolling down her cheek and she wondered why in the world she was torturing herself like that. He deserved to be dead, all she had to do was keep a low profile. If of course she could ignore Dumbledore and the plain look of dissappointment in his eyes. That look in his eyes made her very aware of her failure and made her more determent to solve the mystery. But she just didn't have the will and strength to fight.

A loud cheering indicated that the players entered the Quidditch pitch.

"And here are the Gryffindors!" yelled Lee Jordan, who was acting as a commentator as usual.

"Potter, Bell, Johnson, Spinnet, the Weasley twins and Wood. Widely acknowledged as the best side Hogwarts has seen in a good few years-" 

The Slytherin supporters broke down in a tumultuous tide of 'boos'

"And here are the Slytherins, led by captain Flint. I see he's made some changes in line-up since the last game and he seems to be going for size rather than skill"

More boos from the Slytherin crowd but they shut up as the game actually started.

"And it's Gryffindor in possession, Angelina Johnson with the Quaffle, heading straight for the Slytherin goalposts. Oh, nice swerve around Briggs! Angelina is unstoppable now-SHE SCORES! TEN-ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR! Angelina punched the air as she soared round the end of the pitch until a Bludger caught up with her.

"OUCH!"

The gigantic Slytherin Beater, Derrick, smiled viciously at her but soon Fred Weasley took revenge by clubbing a Bludger in such a forceful way that it resembled more of a cannonball than a Quidditch ball and it hit Derrick square in his stomach causing him to cartwheel in the air, barely able to keep himself on the broom.

"Gryffindor in possession, no Slytherin, no Gryffindor again, no wait it's Gryffindor...boy they're going fast. Alicia Spinet is streaking up the pitch with the Quaffle and- THAT WAS DELIBERATE!!"

 Bole another Beater from Slytherin had clubbed Alicia's head instead of a Bludger and she dropped the Quaffle. Madam Hooch's whistle rang out through the air and she soared over to Bole and burst out in an angry tirade. A minute later Alicia had put a penalty past the Slytherin Keeper.

"TWENTY-ZERO! TAKE THAT YOU DIRTY CHEATING-"

"Jordan, if you can't commentate in an unbiased way I'll do it myself!"

"Sorry Professor!"

"Look out Potter that's a Bludger!" but Harry soared out of the way, he had seen the Snitch.

"Was that the Golden Snitch?"

Suddenly Harry found himself under a heavy Bludger attack and, after missing the Bludgers by a hair, the two Slytherin Beaters were zooming towards him, clubs raised. He turned his new Firebolt upwards at the last second, and Bole and Derrick collided with a sickening crunch. In the mean time Katie Bell had managed to put the Quaffle past the Slytherin Keeper again.

"THIRTY-ZERO FOR GRYFFINDOR! WAY TO GO - Oops, sorry Professor."

"Montague from Slytherin is in possesion and is zooming towards the Gryffindor goalposts and- what in the world is Angelina Johnson doing! I can't believe my eyes, she's standing up on the broom and she's soaring towards Montague! She's actually doing it people, she's broomsurfing! And we all know only one person ever succeeded in doing that, our own Professor Heartilly!! Montague is trying to swerve away but Angelina follows his every move, oof, I can't look, they're about to smash together and- wait no! Angelina punched the Quaffle right out of Montague's arms with her broom and jumped right over him! Ladies and gentlemen, if my eyes do not deceive me, our own Angelina Johnson performed a perfect Charging Bull! FORTY-ZERO FOR GRYFFINDOR! And Gryffindor is in possession again, as Spinet takes the Quaffle- Flint alongside her, oh no! Flint managed to get the Quaffle he's flying towards the Gryffindor goalposts, come on, now Wood, save it! YES HE SAVED IT!" Lee was shouting excitedly and Professor McGonagall tried to tug the magical megaphone away from him.

"Sorry Professor, sorry! Won't happen again! So, Gryffindor in the lead forty points to zero and Gryffindor in possession..."

The Gryffindors were crushing the Slytherins like bugs and the game turned into the dirtiest match since a very long time. Lierin was getting enough of it though, she was merely torturing herself by sending longing looks to Snape, who on his turn ignored her as if she didn't even exist. Quietly, Lierin got up and left the field, ignoring the curious looks of the students and unaware of beetle-black eyes, boring in her back.

As she was walking back to the castle, Lierin could hear the largest part of the stadium exploding with cheers and her stomach gave a funny jolt. At least we've won the Cup, she thought to herself.

After Slytherin's crushing defeat, Gryffindor's euphoria lasted at least a week before the students even thought of studying for the exams. The weather seemed to be celebrating as well as the days became cloudless and sultry as June approached. So, instead of lazing around outside, the students were forced to remain inside the castle, studying their brains out while enticing wafts of summer air breezed through the castle until exam week began.

The third-years emerged from Transfiguration at lunchtime, limp and ashen-faced, comparing results and bemoaning the difficulty of the tasks they'd had to perform. Turning a teapot into a tortoise had been their hardest task. Professor Flitwick had challenged their brains with Cheering Charms. Thus they could relax just a little before revising their books for Care of Magical Creatures, Potions and Astronomy.

Even Care of Magical Creatures proved to be a challenge as Hagrid (who had finally introduced them to Hippogriffs) told them that in order to pass the exam, they had to be able to at least ride the backs of two different Hippogriffs.

They had Potions that afternoon, which was an unqualified disaster. Nobody knew what was wrong with Snape, but he was in such a vindictive mood that no one, not even his precious Slytherins, dared to utter one word and the only one who actually thought she'd done well on the Confusion Concoction was Hermione. Then came Astronomy at midnight, up on the tallest tower and History of Magic on Wednesday morning.

Wednesday afternoon meant Herbology in the greenhouses under a baking hot sun and then an exam in a hot, stuffy Divinations class for Harry and Ron and Muggle studies for Hermione; then back to the common room once more with their backs sunburnt, thinking longingly of this time next day, when it would all be over.

Their second from last exam, on Thursday morning, was Defence against the Dark Arts. Professor Lupin had compiled the most unusual exam any of them had ever taken; a sort of obstacle course outside in the sun, where they had to wade across a deep pool housing a Grindylow, cross a series of potholes full of Red Caps, squish their way through a damp patch of swamp ignoring the directions from a Hinkypunk and then climbing in an old trunk and battle with a new Boggart. The last exam was Ancient Magical Artifacts and Professor Heartilly's exam was as strange as Professor Lupin's. One by one they had to battle themselves though a maze, magically boobytrapped, and find themselves three pieces of a key to a large ancient looking chest from which they had to choose the real Orb of Divination, if they made the right choice it would reveal they had passed the exam, if they made the wrong choice, it revealed they had failed the exam.  So that wrapped up the week of exams and they all went down to dinner.

Ron, Harry and Hermione were sitting together at the Gryffindor table as usual. They all seemed a bit preoccupied though be it for different reasons. Ron was worried about his exams; Hermione was buggin her mind to try and figure out what was going on at Hogwarts and why it involved Professor Heartilly; and Harry was troubled by the several appearances of a large black dog. Harry turned to Ron to tell him what he had found out.

"I noticed a book in the bookstore, Ron and guess what was in it? That bloody dog! Apparently it's supposed to be a Grim."

"A Grim? But Harry! A Grim is a bad omen! They only appear to those who are about to die!"

"Yeah, that's what I read as well. So far it seemed harmless though, unless it's just waiting for the grim reaper to cut the lifeline. Maybe the Grim _is_ the grim reaper. I don't know. It makes me wonder why I'm still alive."

"That's easy. You are the boy who lived! It can't just kill you!"

"I wish I were so sure of that. At least it explains why Professor Trelawney kept predicting my untimely death."

Hermione suddenly cut in to the conversation.

"Wait a minute, are you guys talking about a Grim?"

"Yeah, hasn't Harry told you yet? He's seen a Grim a couple of times."

"Grim as in large black dog with pale eyes kind of Grim?"

"Exactly the one. Why, what's up?"

Hermione didn't answer right away. Was this a coincidence or not? No, it couldn't be a coincidence, the Grim Harry saw, had to be the Grim of the prophecy. _When the Grim is freed from shame..._

"Harry, I know this sounds incredulous, but we have to find that Grim. I can't explain right now, I'm not even sure if I'm allowed to explain now I know that…"

Hermione stopped talking when she noticed the blank faces of Harry and Ron staring back at her.

"Come on, follow me. I'll show you."

Harry and Ron stared at each other, but Hermione was already up and moving. Quickly they followed her to the Common Room and waited as she went to the girls' dorm to get something.

In the dorm Hermione grabbed the notes she had copied out of Professor Heartilly's notes. She flipped through the pages, read the part with the required information and sighed relief. She could tell them. Quickly she ran back down to where Harry and Ron were waiting.

"Harry, do you think that Grim is still around?"

"I guess so. I first noticed him back in Little Winging but I've also seen him on the premesis of the school. I think it's following me, it shouldn't be far away."

"Good, let's go look around the place for it. I'll explain on the way."

Hermione left for the exit and the boys followed, still at a loss.

"I don't know why, but I believe we are trapped in a barrier; called the Clouds of Time. Ever heard of it before?"

Ron and Harry both shook their heads. Hermione sighed exasperated.

"Figures. Anyway, the Clouds of Time barrier is ancient high magic, summoned when history needs to be changed. I don't know if it's ever been used before, but I know of the spell. Now, you must understand that what I'm about to tell you, needs to remain secret. You can't under any circomstance tell Professors Snape, Lupin and Heartilly about it."

"Huh? Why not Mione?" asked Ron.

"Because they are they keypersons, they need to figure it out for themselves.

If we just tell them, the barrier will dissappear and no changes will be made in history."

"Mione, I don't understand at all. Please be more specific."

Hermione sighed again, but she stopped walking, she squatted down and drew a large circle on the ground with her wand.

"See this circle? This represents the world before the barrier. Or actually the world outside the barrier, whatever that looks like. Now, for example, lets assume Professor Trelawney is dead..."

Harry and Ron chuckled but Hermione ignored them.

"Like I said, lets assume she's dead and Parvati and Belinda would want to prevent that from happening, they would summon the Clouds of Time, go back in time and they could have a shot at saving Professor Trelawney."

Hermione drew a second smaller circle within the existing one.

"Only, their own time would continue to exist, they would get the chance to change history in an... alternate dimension, the barrier. Only problem here is, they can't tell the keyperson, in this case Professor Trelawney, that she's about to die, so they have to figure out another way to let Professor Trelawney herself prevent her death. If they would tell her, the barrier would dissappear and they would continue to live in their own time, with a dead Professor. But, if they would succeed, the barrier would expand, and their own time would cease to exist and Professor Trelawney would be alive."  

Ron and Harry tried to keep up with her explanation.. It was a hard to believe story though, even for Ron, and he was used to the wizarding world.

"So you are saying," Harry said thoughtfully, "You're saying that we are in that alternate dimension and that Snape, Lupin and Heartilly have to change history?"

"And the Grim, yes."

"What does the Grim have to do with this. How do you know all of this anyway?"

"Well, for once Professor Trelawney was right about her prophecy. I found the same prophecy in Rowena Ravenclaw's diary and I also found it in Professor Heartilly's personal notes in the library right before she got unwell. The notes were very reveiling and I just put two and two together."

"You found the prophecy in Ravenclaw's diary? But, doesn't that mean...?" asked Ron.

"I guess so. Rowena Ravenclaw must have summoned the Clouds and my guess is something went wrong and she traveled back in time too far."

Harry whistled.

"So the prophecy and the diary..."

"Are just hints to guide the keypersons into the right direction. But it wasn't just Rowena Ravenclaw..." Hermione looked at the boys with a meaningful look in her eyes.

"What? No, it couldn't be!"

"Yes it could. I'm talking about Hufflepuff, Gryffindor and Slytherin. They all traveled back in time. All four of the founders left a personal diary, all four reveiling a small part of the puzzle. When you just read one, it doesn't make sense. Read all four...

"So, why are you so anxious to find that Grim then? Isn't this a problem to solve for the professors?"

"Just take a look at Professor Heartilly, she's not searching for answers and she's certainly not looking in the direction of the four  diaries. At least not anymore. And Professor Lupin and Snape are clueless. "

"So?" asked Ron.

"You now know of the existence of the Clouds Ron, why don't you take a look around."

Ron did as Hermione said and so did Harry. What they saw shocked them both; at the horizon, for as far as their eyes could see, were eerie clouds swirling and shifting rapidly.

"Uhm, Mione? Those clouds can't be very far away, what's behind them?"

"Nothing, this reality is slowly vanishing."

Ron gulped and as they started moving again, none of the three uttered a single word. Before they knew it, they were near the Whomping Willow.

"What do we do now? We haven't found the Grim yet. Or maybe he's not around right now," said Ron.

Suddenly everything seemed to happen at the same time. Scabbers, Ron's pet rat which he always kept in one of his pockets, was fussing around. Ron tried to calm the little critter but Scabbers bit Ron and escaped. Crookshancks, Hermione's pet cat who had sneakily followed the trio, chased the rat shortly followed by Ron who wanted to protect his rat from Crookshancks who'd been on the prowel for Scabbers since the very beginning. Harry and Hermione ran after him and sighed reliefed when they saw that Ron had captured his rat a few yards away. Crookshancks was nowhere to be seen.

They didn't get much time however to catch their breaths, as a large dog came running towards them. Hermione cried out in fear, the three friends tried to escape, but the dog attacked Harry and knocked him right off his feet. The dog landed a few feet away on his feet and immediately turned around to charge again. Paralysed with fear, Harry stayed in his place, watching the dog come closer, but just as the dog jumped for another attack, Ron came charging at him to push Harry out of the way and the dog's teeth sank into his outstretched arm.

Ron cried out in fear and pain and Harry lunged forward to free Ron from the dog but it already dragged Ron away as if he were a rag doll.

Suddenly, completely unexpected, something hit Harry hard in the face, knocking him to the ground again. Harry grabbed his glasses and heard Hermione cry out in pain just before she too fell to the ground. Harry groped around for his fallen wand and tried to wipe the blood from his eyes.

"Lumos!" whispered Harry and a faint light emerged from the tip of his wand. He used the light to get a better view on what it was that had knocked him about. It all became clear soon enough as he saw the silhouet of a huge tree, they had approached the Whomping Willow to near in their pursuit of Ron and the rat. The branches and boughs swept around in a threatingly motion and prevented anyone to come in a too close proximity. And there, certainly near the bottom of the Whomping Willow, Harry saw how the large hound was trying to drag Ron in a huge hole between the overly large roots. His head and torso were the first to dissappear out of sight and Harry cried his name. Soon Ron's legs followed but he quickly hooked his foot behind one of the roots. The beast kept on dragging Ron and suddenly a bonebreaking pang startled Hermione and Harry and they were forced to watch Ron dissappear. Suddenly the tree stopped  moving, as if it had turned to stone. Harry and Hermione looked at each other, both confused. Then a silver cloth floated to the ground and reveiled a large ginger cat-

"Crookshancks?" whispered Hermione.

"Of course, it makes perfect sense, Crookshancks and the dog are buddy buddy. I once saw them together. Come on, keep your wand ready."

Hermione followed Harry through the hole, they followed the plushy tail of Crookshancks as it merrily made his way down a long but small tunnel. As fast as there legs could carry them they sped through the tunnel, backs aching from doing this bent over. At a given point the tunnel started to guide them upwards and after a turret they had lost track of Crookshancks, Harry did notice faint light at what he thought to be the end of the tunnel. Thinkin of Ron and what might happen to him, he sat off at a run again and dashed, wand raised, right into what seemed to be a very messy and dusty circular room. Astonished at the sight of crumbling wallpaper and damaged furniture, Harry lowered his wand. It was as though someone had run amok in the room. Hermione too entered the room with an utterly fearfull expression on her face.

"Harry, I do believe we are in the Shrieking Shack."

Harry cast around another look at  a few damaged chairs and noticed how big chuncks were missing from the seat.

"Well, I don't think this is the work of ghouls, so keep an eye out."

There was only one door open and as they crept towards it they heard moaning coming from inside the room behind that door. Harry kicked the door open, wand raised again and he saw a big cat lying on a beautiful four-poster bed with dusty curtains. It was Crookshancks. The cat started purring at the sight of Hermione but she only had eye for the form next to the bed. Ron.

They both hurried to their friend, who had a deathly pale complexion.

"Ron, are you okay? Where's the dog... the Grim?" asked Hermione slightly breathless.

"There is no dog," Ron moaned as speaking hurt him greatly, "Harry, it's a trap. _He_ is the dog, _he's_ an Animagus."

"What? Who?"

Harry turned around and suddenly the door slammed closed. Standing next to it stood a man with long filthy black hair, as thin as a carcass, his mouth twitched in a smirk showing off his ugly yellow teeth-


	31. The Grim reveiled and the dementors' att...

Hello all. A little note from me, since all my beta-readers have ran away or went barking mad, I have no one to correct my many and stupid (grammar) mistakes. I hope you think it more important to have something to read rather than be upset over my poor English writing.

**Elvesmagic,** thanks again for your review bows humbly I think that at the moment you (and our crossover) are the only reason why I still bother to update. Feel the love J

After dinner Lierin had practically escaped the Great Hall before anyone could stop her to have a word with her, she just wasn't in the mood. Tired of spending her time in her private quarters or in the library, Lierin walked around a bit aimlessly, still not certain of what to do next. She had thought of searching the library to see if Slytherin, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff had left here curious diaries as well, but the lust to do this dissappeared as she noticed black billowing robes dissappear into the same direction. Slowly her feet carried her to Remus'office but suddenly she stopped dead in her tracks as she noticed something on the ground far below, something she had never noticed before.

Lierin bent over the stairways to have a better look. There it was, consisting out of many coloured tiles, the official arms of Hogwarts. She bent a little further and noticed what had caught her attention; the Gryffindor lion, the Slytherin snake, the Hufflepuff badger and the Ravenclaw raven all seemed to have placed their paw, tail, snout and beak directly on the H in the arms instead of just pointing to it. Quickly Lierin ran down the marble stairs again to investigate the arms more closely, nearly knocking one of the students from their feet.

Curiously Lierin approached the arms and walked around it, following the lines of the large arms with her foot. Well, nothing unusual there. She then walked to the centre of the arms, the part where the animals almost seemed to hug the large H and again she followed the same routine of following the lines of the plaque with the large H. Finally, there she found what she was looking for.

The large H had to be some sort of elevator, if she could only find out how to activate it. She looked at the animals, took a wild guess and pressed on the Gryffindor lion first, it moved! An excited cry welled up from deep inside of her, but it never came past her lips as a creeping cold seemed to fill the area. Paralysed with fear Lierin opened her mouth to scream but a glistening, greyish, slimy-looking and scabbed hand stifled her cry.

A few miles away, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger had finally come face to face with Sirius Black. There was confusion all around as Professor Lupin entered the Shrieking Shack as well; confusion that soon altered in rage as Lupin and Black seemed to be long lost friends. Professor Lupin seemed determined to convince Harry, Ron and Hermione of Black's innocence, persuading them to believe that Ron's pet rat was in fact an Animagus called Peter Pettigrew who staged his death years ago and thus convicted Black to years of imprisonment in Azkaban.

Remus decided it was time to reveil his secret, if that would help them to understand and believe. He told the entire story, kept nothing back and finally he concluded his story by telling about an unfortunate incident, years ago, which had almost cost Professor Snape's life if it hadn't been for James Potter.

"So that's why Snape doesn't like you," said Harry slowly, "because he thought you were in on the joke?"

"That's right," sneered a cold voice from the wall behind Lupin. Severus Snape was pulling off the Invisibility Cloak, his wand pointing directly at Lupin. Black jumped to his feet, Hermione cried out in anguish and Harry felt as if he'd just been placed on the electrical chair.

"I found this at the base of the Whomping Willow, said Snape, throwing the Cloak aside and in the meanwhile making sure to keep his wand pointing at Lupin's heart. Snape was slightly breathless, but his face was full of suppressed triumph.

"You are probably wondering how I found out you were here? I've just been to your office Lupin. You forgot to take your potion again, so I took a gobletful along. It seems like you forgot to bring something with you. This!" Snape hissed as he threw an old looking parchment at Lupin's feet. It was Harry's Marauder's Map which he had given the professor on his demand, still active and showing all of their destinations.

"Severus-," Lupin began, but Snape overrode him.

"I've told the Headmaster again and again that you've been helping your old friend Black into the castle, Lupin, and here's the proof! I never thought you'd have the nerve to use this old place as your hideout-"

"Severus, you are making a mistake," said Lupin urgently. "You haven't heard everything- I can explain- Sirius is not here to kill Harry-"

"Two more for Azkaban tonight," said Snape, his eyes now gleaming fanatically. "I shall be interested to see how Dumbledore takes this. He trusted you, you know, convinced that you were harmless. Even though I tried to warn him again and again and again that you couldn't be trusted!"

Now Lupin was getting angry.

"Really Severus? It surprises me you still had the time for that, looking back on how much time you spent chasing after my sister!"

"Leave her out of this......._your sister_?"

Lupin smiled weakly.

"Not by blood, but otherwise yes, my sister. My parents took her in when she was orphaned. A present from your old friend Voldemort. She'd be really heartbroken you know if you'd hurt me."

BANG! Thin, snake-like cords burst from the end of Snape's wand and twisted themselves around Lupin's mouth, wrists and ankles; he overbalanced and fell to the floor, unable to move. With a roar of rage, Black started towards Snape, but Snape's quick reflexes had him pointing his wand straight between Black's eyes before he could even move a single muscle.

"Give me a reason," he whispered in his most deadly voice, "Give me a reason to do it and I swear I will. "All I have to do is call the Dementors once we get out of the Willow. They'll be very pleased to see you, Black... pleased enough to give you a little kiss, I daresay..."

What little colour there was left in Black's face, it fade away.  Harry stood there, paralysed, not knowing what to do or who to believe. He glanced around at Ron and Hermione and he noticed how intensively Hermione was surveying the Marauder's map. When he saw her eyes widen in pure horror he took a closer look as well.

"P-p-p-professor Snape -it - it- it looks l-l-like those Demontors-"

"Miss Granger, you are already facing suspension from this school," Snape spat.

"You, Potter and Weasley are out of bounds, in company of a convicted murderer and a werewolf. For once on your life, _hold your tongue_!"  

"But Professor- look at...-the Dementors, they...they are-."

"KEEP QUIET, YOU STUPID GIRL!" Snape shouted and a few sparks shot out of the end of his wand, which was still pointing at Black's face.

"I think the girl is trying to tell you that a certain person is about to receive 'a little kiss' from the Dementors as you so eloquently put it," said Black with gritted teeth. "And I do believe it is someone you know. Why don't you take a look at the map?"

This time Snape finally bothered to look at the map, and what he saw filled his heart with a sudden coldness. There, on the map, a clear blue dot labelled Lierin Heartilly, was surrounded by dozens of Dementors.

"No!" Snape stammered confused and brokenly, "No, not her. Please, not Lierin!"

His worst expectations realised, Remus closed his eyes, looking awfully pale.

"It seems like you have to make a choice here Snape! You can turn me in to the Dementors, or you can let me help you save the girl. You can't fight all of them alone!"

Severus finally lowered his wand, looking quite lost and helpless. Handing over Sirius Black would certainly be rewarded by the Order of Merlin, Second class if not First class but if that meant losing her, losing Lierin.

"You promise to help me? Save Lierin?" Snape asked Black in that same odd voice, filled with emotions and Black was surprised to see a more human side of Snape. For a moment there he was sure that Snape would turn him in anyway. Sirius then nodded his head. "I know we've never been good friends. But yes, I'll help you, but only because she's Remus sister."

Remus rolled with his eyes, he had wondered when they'd finally come to him. Quickly Sirius moved over to Remus, untied him and helped him back to his feet.

"We'd better hurry up. We don't have more time to waste. You! (he looked at Ron), do you still have Pettigrew with you?" Ron nodded yes and took Pettigrew/Scabbers out of his pocket. A swift paralitis spell prevented the rat from escaping as it hung limply in Ron's hands.

"Good, you girl, take the boy back to school and make sure you show that rat to the Headmaster together with the map, for proof!"

Hermione nodded her head and she helped Ron get to his feet.

"Harry, you better come with us. You know the patronus spell as well and by Merlin, we could use all the help we can get now!" said Remus while dusting off his shabby set of robes.

"Lupin, you better take this, you'll be needing it. I invented this a few hours ago, I wanted to bring it to you earlier but..." Snape started and he took out a flask from his robes and threw it to Remus who snatched the flask right out of the air. He looked at Snape with questioning look in his eyes.

"It prevents you from turning into a werewolf the moment you set foot in the moonlight. It's not permanent though, I have no idea how strong it is and how much time... Let us hope you have time enough to..."

"Yes, very well. Thank you Severus. Now, let us move along. Before we are too late!"

They all sat off at a run narrowly following the instructions on the Marauder's Map. Snape had his wand clutched tightly in his hand, his heart beating at an alarming rate. The last time Snape had seen the map, the dementors were closing in on Lierin quickly. In fact, it had almost seemed like the entire horde of dementors were _taking_ her with them.

"Harry!" panted Snape, "Let me see the map for a moment!"

Harry grudgingly handed over the map, which Snape snatched from his hands with an eagerty that confused Harry. Snape quickly scanned the outline on the map and sure enough, in the middle of a clearing near the lake was a single dementor, clearly waiting. He thrust the map back at Harry.

"I know where they are going, they are headed to the skull stone near the lake where the leader of the dementors is waiting, they already have her..."

Remus nodded grimly.

"I know a shortcut then, follow me!"

They ran of the path; Snape, Black and Harry following Remus' lead and they kept running towards the skull stone in the forest near the lake. They reached the lake about the same time as the dementors and as they reached the clearing, even before the familiar icy cold penetrated their bodies, they saw them.

There weren't just a dozen of them, but at least a hundred dementors were gliding in a black mass around the lake, carrying the struggling body of Lierin. Suddenly, sensing their presence due to their emotions running high, a dozen of the dementors turned around and approached them. The foreboding rattling sounds accompanied by the bitter cold they brought, caused Harry to stand still and hesitate.

"Think of something happy guys, this is it!"yelled Remus, taking the lead,

"Expecto patronum, Expecto patronum!"

Snape, Remus, Sirius and Harry fought their way through the dementors. It was a hard battle, there were so many of them! Soon enough the remaining dementors joined the fight and closed in on them but Harry's stag cantered through a group of dementors, causing them to back away and escape like bats. Remus produced a large werewofl and it proved to be quite a strong it chased a way six dementors at once as he slashed around him using his enormous claws and fangs. Sirius had a little trouble producing a powerful patronus and so was Severus, but not once did they give up. 

In the meanwhile, oblivious to the attempt of Severus, Remus, Harry and Sirius to save her, Lierin struggled for dear life and the dementors found themselves a little surprised by the strength of their opponent. But she was the least of their worries as three man and a young boy fought their way through their kind, without a doubt to safe the girl. They couldn't let that happen, they had to bring her to their leader for he had made the pact; the Dark Ruby and the death of the girl, for real human prey, lot's of it. So, more and more dementors left to fight the men and fewer stayed behind with the girl.

Suddenly all went cold, horrible voices of the past rang through Lierin's mind, laughing at her, mocking her. Lierin pinced her eyes closed and forced herself to rid herself of the voices but they didn't go away. The ground froze over as the largest of dementors approached Lierin, the other dementors letting him pass. It was their leader. Snape's voice was growing louder and louder as he moved closer to her;  all his past insults, every denegrating comment, every crual word he had ever spoken to her were repeated; over and over again. Tears trickled down Lierin's face but still she tried to fight back. With a look of utter fear in her eyes, Lierin watched the leader looming over her and she cried out in disgust as he ripped open her tunic, exposing her humble breasts, finding what he wanted. Lierin kept on struggling, desperately trying to get away from it but its rattling breaths like an evil wind, surrounded her and rendered her weak and helpless.

Suddenly the leader raised both his rotten hands- and lowered his hood. Where there should have been eyes, there was only thin, grey, scabbed skin, stretched blankly over empty sockets. But there was a mouth... a gaping, shapeless hole, sucking the air with the sound of a death-rattle. A paralysing terror surged through her veins, making it impossible for Lierin to move or scream. White fog started to blind her, it was as if the Dementor sucked every emotion, every ability to control her body, out of her. In the distance, so far away she could someone call her name. Severus? She groped around, hoping that he would take her hand, they weren't going to take her... But a pair of strong, clammy hands wrapped themselves around her neck, nearly choking her, squeezing the air out of her lungs. With a jerk they forced her head upwards and she could feel the dementors putrid breath, still hearing Snape's cruel words,

the last words she'd ever hear again... And then, through the fog that was drowning her, she saw a silver spark soaring towards her and a soft thud announced something had dropped right beside her.

Severus could feel his heart skipping a few beats as he saw one of the dementors lowering its hood.

"Oh no you don't!" he barked and he let himself drop to one knee and pulled out a knife out of his right boot. The knife of Bia. He weighed the knife in it's hand, ignored an attacking dementor, hoping that Lupin, Black or at least Potter would take care of it. He violently threw the knife away and watched as it swirled through the air, swirling and swirling until it pierced the ground almost directly next to Lierin.

With her face still up, too weak to move, sick and shaking, Lierin opened her eyes and saw the dementor's shapeless mouth moving down. She tried to look sideways, to see what had hit the ground and from the corners of her eyes, she recognised the blade of a certain dagger, sheathed in the ground. If she could just reach it, touch it with her finger...

She reached out her hand, it wasn't that far away and as her fingers moved closer to the haft of the dagger, the dementor's mouth moved closer to hers until they both seemed to reach their goal at the same time. A bright flash filled the sky as the Dementor placed its mouth over Lierins to suck her soul away...


	32. Dementors defeated?

Thank you for those who bothered to review... crickets start chirping Okay...

Thank you Kathryn for reviewing this turd of a story. I know things are rushed in the end but you know why J Anyway, have fun reading the story.

Snape could feel his heart sinking in his shoes, he couldn't believe it, they were too late! Too late! He choked down a lump in his throat, he'd die before the others would see him cry. Not that it mattered, his life was over anyway.

No, this was unacceptable! She couldn't have died, there still had to be a chance. If that bright light meant anything, it had to mean that Lierin was still alive. Focusing hard, he raised his wand again and thought of the happiest moment in his life. There weren't many of those but he was ready to admit, the afternoon that Lierin had willingly given herself to him, had made him very happy indeed.

"Expecto patronum!" he cried with a thick voice, filled with emotions - except his voice wasn't the only one that shouted. Three men and one boy stood up as one, all four of them pointed their right-handed wands at the dementors, all four of them cried out the incantation as one and Snape could feel tears of relief streaming down his cheeks as four magnificent silvery entities shot through the air, zooming towards the Dementors, scattering them away from Lierin. Snape was surpised to see what his patronus looked like; he seemed to be looking at himself running towards the dementors, but with a naked torso, long hair cascading down his naked shoulders, huge bat-like wings sprouted from between his shoulderblades and swinging around a large scimitar to scare off the dementors.

With every ounce of strength she could muster, Lierin raised her head and saw four magnificent creatures speeding towards her. Fighting to stay conscious, Lierin pulled the dagger out of the ground and attacked the dementor leader who now tried to get his hands on the Dark Ruby.

"Keep your hands off!" she hissed, "I do believe that is mine!"

Scared away by the entities, the leader vanished with the others and left her alone, facing a stranger, Harry Potter, Severus and Remus. Unable to keep her emotions under control any longer, Lierin cried out and run towards the men.

At first she wanted to fling herself in Severus awaiting arms but she hesitated in her tracks, Severus had told her exactly what he thought of her hadn't he?

So she flung herself into the arms of her second best choice instead, Remus, unaware of the look of hurt that entered Severus face.

"It's okay," whispered Remus while holding her tightly, "You've been through too much lately, just let it go. You can cry." Remus guided her gently in the direction of Hogwarts.

"But, i-it's not over yet! Remus, you don't know h-half of what's going on. I-I meant to... to tell you. But... Oh Remus, I was too ashamed of myself! This is all because o-of me! If I hadn't-"

"Shh, you're not the only one to blame. I'm responsible as well, so is Sirius here and heaven knows Severus is responsible."

"Sirius? Sirius Black?" Lierin turned  around to look at the stigmatised man who was walking slightly behind her, whispering softly with Harry. Sirius looked up at her and smiled faintly.

"A pleasure to finally meet you, Lierin. Remus was always talking about you."

Lierin smiled at him, "Well, I could always handle him better than Romulus."

Remus laughed, "Not much of a suprise in that."

Lierin looked back at Remus.

"But what does Sirius have to do with... you know what?"

Sirius looked at Remus with a questioning look in his eyes.

"What do I have to do with what?"

"Right," said Remus, "I forgot you don't know about Sirius being a... Oh hell, I don't know of any other way to tell you this... Lierin, meet the Grim."

Lierin looked from him at Sirius, from Sirius back to Remus and from Remus to Severus who was determined not to look at her, acting as if he were not eavesdropping on the conversation.

"You know about the riddle? The prophecy? But... how? I never showed the entire prophecy and you weren't there when Trelawney made the prediction."

"No, but I discovered the prophecy lying on your desk before I found out that Sirius was here. And just like you, I put two and two together."

Just oustside school, Dumbledore was waiting for them, Hermione standing next to him, staring at the horizon with a troubled look in her eyes. Lierin looked around to see what troubled her and noticed the Clouds of Time not very far away from them, it was just a matter of hours now! She looked at Hermione and Dumbledore and suddenly she realised that they knew. She took a deep breath and, just as she expected he would, Dumbledore approached her and looked at her with a grave expression on her face.

"Do you know?" Dumbledore asked hesitatingly.

"Yes, headmaster. I know now, and more... Follow me."

Dumbledore nodded and let her pass. Surprised Remus looked at Sirius, but he just shrugged his shoulders, he then looked at Snape and Snape returned the look. Snape nodded his head ever so slightly and Remus nodded in response; whatever the future would bring, things would always be very different.

Suddenly a chilling draft swept over the grounds, the air just seemed to freeze around them. Sirius was the last one to enter the castle, together with Harry, but the sudden change in atmosphere made him look back and what he saw filled his heart with terror. Harry noticed the horrified look on his godfather's face and looked back as well, he gasped for air when he too saw what had scared Sirius so much. Right outside the gates of Hogwarts, an entire army of dementors were slithering towards them. They seemed to bring the night, no death with them as they approached the castle. They didn't even have to open the gates, as they approached the gates they started to shake and tremble until they were ripped from their foundation. They dissappeared in the blackness right behind the dementors. The clouds of time were swirling ominously and Harry new that, whatever was about to happen, there was little time to stop it.

Harry tried to recompose himself and he dragged Sirius behind him, screaming all the way to the large Hogwarts crest on the floor.

"They are on their way. Whatever needs to be done, it has to happen now! Everything is... dissappearing!"

Sirius and Severus seemed to be the only ones oblivious to what in Merlin's name was going on. Lierin just nodded her head with a sad look in her eyes.

At that moment Lierin looked as though she had lived forever. She seemed old, very old, though her physique was still the same. But her eyes, those sad old eyes told of things unknown to anyone.

With a small gesture of her hand she made everyone step away from the crest. The stone image of the lion was still pressed down and Lierin pushed the bird next, then the badger and lastly the snake. Nothing happened.

"Goderic, Rowena, Helga... you too Salazar... I don't know what made you decide to go with them but I'm glad you did..."

Snape furrowed his eyebrows and wondered whether Lierin had finally lost her marbles.

"It is time. Your plan succeeded. I found your clues and I know what terrible mistake I have made. I'm trying to set things right and I can only hope that someday you will all be able to forgive me for my wrongdoings. Right now, I need your help one last time as I have no idea what to do next..."

Lierin had not even finished that last sentence when several tremors shot through the crest on which she was standing and suddenly the crest carried her up. Suddenly a white forcefield appeared and Lierin dissappeared right through it. The moment she had gone through, the forcefield dissappeared and Lierin was gone.

No one dared to utter a word, the ground started to shake and tremble and a freezing coldness crept through the cracks and holes. A highpitched screaming noise echoed through the hallways and as the dementors arrived, it seemed like the gates of hell opened up.


	33. The five founders and the second Summoni...

The last chapter before the end-chapter/epilogue starts crying Okay, enough with the sappy stuff. Kathryn (since I bet you are the only one left reading this) I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm sorry the overdrive scene is so short (only one or two lines) I know you love them but I hope chapter 19 gave you enough satisfaction for that.

Lierin had to cover her eyes to protect them against the bright devine light.

A wonderful warm feeling engulfed her, washing her fear, pain and worries away. A little seed of hope blossomed inside her and Lierin welcomed it. Slowly she started to walk and noticed that the pain in her leg was gone. A soft warm myst surrounded her and Lierin assumed that she had failed, that she had died.

"Hello?" she yelled, hoping that a welcoming angel would guide her around or at least tell her what was going to happen next. Of course there was no reply.

"Hello, Lierin. You do not have to fear.  You have reached your goal.

Or our goal to be exact. Congratulations."

Lierin turned around quickly and sure enough they were there. Gryffindor, Helga, Rowena and Salazar. They were all smiling at her and for some unexplainable reason they seemed to be proud of her. Proud!

Lierin choked back a few tears. Rowena stuck out her arms but a sad smile appeared on her face as she lowered them.

"If I could, I would hug you. You did splendidly darling. Just splendid."

"Why?" asked Lierin, tears running down her face, "Why are you smiling at me? You should hex me to Hades!"

"Why to Hades?" asked Helga, then she smiled, "Ah, let me guess. You're heathen dog from Hades theory."

Lierin groaned.

"No, not you too!"

Gryffindor erupted in a fit of laughter.

"Yes, we too!" he roared happily, "You have no idea how often you made us laugh."

"And cry," added Helga.

"And cheer," said Rowena.

"Most of the time we just shook our heads in dismay though!" came Salazar's reply in his familiar cocky manner. But Lierin knew him well, the small twitching of his lip didn't go unnoticed.

"Still, why are you not angry with me? I ruined everything. The plan, the goblet, the school, the students. It was all my fault. Goderic, you warned me so many times not to let my feelings cloud my judgement. But that's exactly what happened!"

"My dear, you were in love. You still are! You couldn't have known about our friend Pettigrew's betrayal," he replied.

"Pettigrew? What does he have to do with this?"

"Well, in the world you just came from, he betrayed Harry's parents by reveiling their hiding place. Ask Remus and Sirius. They know all about it."

"What you don't know however, is that he betrayed you as well," said Rowena, "He betrayed you, Severus, Remus and Sirius in our time. That's why you were the ones we appointed as the key persons in the Clouds of Time."

"I knew him of course, but what did he do. How did he betray me?"

"Just think about it, Lierin. Who was the filthy rat who convinced you that Severus killed Remus? Which leech convinced Severus that Remus was trying to keep him away from you?" Salazar hissed.

At this moment her mind just refused to co-operate. It was too awful to think about.  Lierin refused to believe she had been so easy to manipulate.

"No, you must be wrong. He said he had witnessed..."

"Right. _He_ said. The plan was easy. Voldemort knew we were up to something and attacked the weakest link. No offence, but your feelings indeed clouded your judgement," Salazar said.

"Right, he began with Remus of course. Told him that Severus was spending way too much time with you. In response Remus tried to strengthen his bond with you by spending more and more time with you." Helga continued.

"And Severus was his next victim. He told him that Remus was against his relationship with you and that he was trying to keep him away from you," Goderic said, "Of course you know what Severus is like. Instead of talking about it, he began to fight with you. Peter only had to wait for the right time to act. Unfortunately for him, Sirius found out about the scheme so Peter had to find a way to set him up. So, knowing that Sirius would go after him if her were spotted, he let a few people see him and thus set the trap."

Salazar took over again.

"And of course Sirius fell for it. He chased him and just like Peter did inside the barrier, he blew up the street and staged his death. But the dementors never took him to Azkaban like they did inside the barrier. Outside it, he hung himself.

He was too ashamed that he was the one who had given Pettigrew the opportunity to betray the Potters. You were the one who found him, remember?"

Lierin had a flashback from her vision. She saw the man with black hair and his bulging eyes staring into forgetfulness. Again she saw his tongue, sticking out of his mouth all swollen and blue. Again she saw the cord around his neck. It had been Sirius she had seen in her vision. She nodded her head.

"Peter had succeeded in his plan. Sirius was dead and unable to warn Remus about the scheme plotted against him, you and Severus. Now Peter could carry out the last phase of the plan. There was no one left to stop him from murdering Remus and there was no one to keep you from believing Peter that Severus had killed Remus in a fit of rage."

"And there was no one left to keep me from handing Voldemort the goblet with the ruby, filled with the elixir of life," she whispered.

_"This goblet in turn for Severus. Dead."_

_"That can be arranged."_

The words of downfall. The beginning of the end.

No one said a thing.

"But why go through all this trouble? I mean, things happened in an entirely different manner in an entirely different order. And now Voldemort managed to get his hands on the original Goblet of Might."

"But we couldn't know that now could we? We just wanted to go back to the time when Pettigrew was manipulating you, we ended up eighthundred years in the past instead. Do you realise how difficult it was to guide you to Hogwarts where we left you our diaries? Do you have any idea how hard it was to predict your courses of action?"

"I bet it was very hard indeed. But does it matter now? I mean, I'm not going to betray everyone... The entire reason why we are here is in fact gone, none-existent."

"No it's not, when we summoned the clouds, we used that same prophecy.

In order to banish the clouds and turn everything back to normal, the prophecy must be fullfilled! We already guessed things would be different, so we kept the prophecy as vague as possible." Goderic said and glanced at a worried Rowena.  

"Lierin, sweety. You have to go back now. Hogwarts is almost gone and the dementors have Severus surrounded. You and him are the last persons to reconcile. But first you must vanquish the dementors," Rowena said softly.

"But the prophecy... what about Remus and Sirius?"

"Remus already took care of that, as he was the only one left allowed to reveil the secrets of the clouds. Sirius no longer blames himself for the death of Lily and James. Severus finally gave up his grudge against Remus. He no longer blames him for keeping him away from you. He might not show it... at least not very often. But that man deeply loves you."

"No, he doesn't! He hates me. He can't love, there's no love inside him!"

"Yes there is! Just because his father beat every bit of feeling out og him, doesn't mean he's not able to learn!" Goderic said. Lierin started to cry, at one hand for Snape and his ruined childhood and at the other hand for herself, for not allowing herself to see past his scars.

"Go Lierin. Go now! It's not too late yet! You know what to do. Look deep in your heart and remember Lierin! Show him!"

"But we need the..."

"No! Not this one time! You'll find the power within you! You just havo to remember and let Severus remember as well!"

Slowly the ghosts of Goderic, Helga, Rowena and Salazar vanished and the forcefield lifted. Once she opened her eyes again, she looked right in two black doubtful eyes.

"There's much to be said. And little time to say it." Severus said, barely audible.

Lierin looked around her and noticed hundreds of dementors streaming down the hallways of what was left of Hogwarts towards them.

"Let's just concentrate on them first, shall we? We can talk later!"

"Ah, so you want to expell them with the patronus spell. Don't you think there are a couple of hundred dementors too many?"

"Save your sarcasm for later, Severus. Patching things up quickly won't make the dementors disappear, we have to vanquish them first and then we can lift the barrier. You see, the dementors have have breeched it, dementors are the only creatures able to travel between magical barriers. They must have found our barrier and Voldemort must have ordered them to stop us. We must first completely seperate the two worlds before... No matter, there's no t ime to explain."

They were surrounded by dementors.

"I hope you still remember how to change. You need to draw the power from within you and so do I. So focus!"

Severus opened his mouth to say something but Lierin cut him short.

"Please remember Severus. You know we did this before. And don't mind Achille's ring and Achille's spear. We have to do this on our own!"

Lierin closed her eyes and concentrated. Time took her back to the original Hogwarts, where the entities had also been summoned to protect the school. Now, they had to protect again.

_"Cbayg du sa, cbayg du sa, ahdedo rettah eh dra lnocdym'c binedo._

_Dyga so vmacr, syga ed cdnuhk, du vyla so ahaseac yc E ku ymuhk._

_Ahdedo, ahdedo, huf eh bayla, syga sa ehjehlepma mega Ylremmac!"_

The ancient words stopped the dementors dead in their track. Once again Lierin summoned the entity Crejy and this time she did it on her own. Severus focused hard and his lips started moving, words formed. Words that Severus hardly remembered, words that he hardly understood.

_Tyng Saccakhan eh drec nehk, drec csymm edas oad bufanvimm drehk._

_Dyga so vmacr, syga ed cdnuhk, du vyla so ahaseac yc E ku ymuhk._

_Ahdedo, ahdedo, huf eh bayla, syga sa ehjehlepma mega Ylremmac._

Diabolical black leather wings sprouted from his back, ripping his robes apart. His eyes grew even darker, all light disappeared from them, long black hair cascaded down his shoulders. A large scimitar appeared in his right hand.

The harvester was ready to reap.

A battle cry welled up from deep inside him and together with Crejy, 

Tyng Saccakhan charged towards the dementors ready to slaughter the creatures that couldn't be killed by ordinary wizards. Crejy created her icy forcefield around the enemies and Tyng Saccakhan created a black forcefield by swirling the scimitar around, they directed their force of ice and decay towards the dementors, just as the clouds closed around them...


	34. The end and the epilogue

Tumtumtumdumdadum drum rolls Yes, it's here. The last chapter to this story. A thank you to those who started reading this story and kept with it. Also a thank you for those who bothered to review, you made me so happy! And a special thank you to Kathryn, the driving force behind me actually finishing this crap. Feel the love J Anyway, it's because of her you are actually reading this, you can thank her by reading and reviewing her stories : "Eyes of Grey, Soul of Steel" and "Last Chance". And keep an eye out for our planned crossover. You can find the stories under elvesmagic010.

For those who wondered, here are the translations for the Al-bhed based summonings.

_Speak to me, speak to me, entity hidden in the crystal's purity._

_Take my flesh, make it strong, to face my enemies as I go along._

_Entity, entity, now in peace, make me invincible like Achilles._

_Dark Messenger in this ring, this small item yet powerfull thing. _

_Take my flesh, make it strong, to face my enemies as I go along._

_Entity, entity, now in peace, make me invincible like Achilles._

Lierin was lying on Severus's chest and enjoyed the feeling of his hand  caressing her head. She leant up and looked into his black onyx eyes and noticed the soft burning flames in them. She smiled at him and placed her lips against his. Tenderly he returned the kiss and rolled her down beneath him.

"Are we dead?" asked Lierin.

Severus glanced down at her and planted a kiss on her forehead.

"I don't know and I can't say I care. This suits me just fine."

Lierin looked around and noticed she and Severus were in the same place where she had talked to her former friends. There was nothing here but bright white light.

 "But there's no one here! We failed. _I_ failed!"

"Maybe they are still waiting for us to straighten things out," said Severus softly. Lierin looked up and saw the regret and pain in his eyes.

"But we have... haven't we?"

"I don't know. All I know is that I treated you horribly, I acted like the heathen dog from Hades you once took me for."

Lierin smiled.

"Well, even hellish dogs can be nice sometimes. Sometimes is enough for me. Question is, is sometimes enough for you?"

"Do yo think you could...care for me if I treated you better than I have before?"

Severus didn't dare to say love, he thought that was too much to ask. Lierin felt a warmth spreading throughout her entire being.

"I allready do, Severus, more then you can imagine," Lierin whispered against his lips.

He didn't dare to say it outloud, but in his kiss he told her how much he loved her, how much he needed her and that was enough.

"I love you too," Lierin said with a smile as she gently touched his cheek. And forst the first time in years, Severus smiled too.

Birds sang, the sun was shining and soft voices whispered enthousiastically. Severus looked up and saw several students watching them curiously.

Lierin pushed him away and sat up to see what was going on. She blushed and shyly she hid her face against Severus's shoulder. Surprised he looked around and noticed that everything was back to normal. They had succeeded! In a fit of cheerfulness he grabbed Lierin up by her waist and lifted her up, holding her tightly.

"Come future Mrs. Snape. Let's go home!"

"Why Professor Snape, was that a proposal?" she cooed.

Severus put her down abruptly.

"Did it sound like a proposal?" he said and walked away, annoyed that she couldn't just approve.

Lierin grinned and follewed him to the castle.

"Let's just go home."

Remus watched them go from a short distance, a small smile playing around his lips. Snape wasn't exactly the man he had wanted for his sister, but at least she was happy now. Remus noticed that the limp was back and smiled when Severus lifted her up and carried her all the way to the castle.

**Epilogue**

The last schoolday had arrived at last. Tonight they would hear who had won the Housecup. Gryffindor was second to Slytherin due to their amazing achievements at the Quiditch field. Lierin stared at the large hourglass with a glum look in her eyes. Severus joined her.

"Looks like Slytherin will be winning this year." Snape said smugly.

Lierin's head snapped up.

"Well, that's a surprise with a head of house who favours his students."

"Ah, said the teacher who loves to hex all students save hers."

"Are you accusing me of being biased?" Lierin asked shocked.

"I'm not accusing, I'm _stating_. Entirely different thing." Snape answered haughtily.

"I'll make you a deal, you award Gryffindor points when the occasion calls for it, and I will do the same for Slytherin. That way we can stop accusing each other of being biased."

"Why not make this a lot more interesting?" said Snape with an evil glint in his eyes. Lierin bit her lips in pleasure.

"I don't know, what did you have in mind?" she asked seductively. Snape grabbed her by her shoulders and pulled her close to him.

"If Gryffindor wins, you'll be my slave for a whole night. If Slytherin wins, I'll be yours," he said with a husk voice.

At that moment Hermione Granger appeared in the hallway with an entire stack of books in her arms.

"Fifty points from Gryffindor for carrying more books than allowed!" said Lierin in the same husky manner. Hermione looked up, completely in shock.

Draco appeared, flanked by his two cronies and Pansy Parkinson laughed loudly at some joke Draco had just told.

"Ninety points from Slytherin for disturbing the piece in the hallways!" Snape barked , drawing even closer to Lierin.

Draco, Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy and Hermione watched their two teachers in curiosity.

"A hundred points to Slytherin because Malfoy...because Crabbe...ehr..." Lierin stepped away from Severus who smiled viciously.

"A hundred points to Gryffindor awarded to Miss. Granger for getting topgrades on her exam." Snape stepped towards Lierin.

"A hundred points to Slytherin awarded to Malfoy because he finally got his alphabet right?" Lierin asked weakly, Snape shook his head. Suddenly Lierin ran away as fast as she could with her infernal left leg and Snape sat off in pursuit. Here and there they awarded points to their competitive house.  The students looked at each other and then looked in the direction in which their teachers had vanished. They just shrug their shoulders and continued their day.

Needless to say, Gryffindor won that evening. But Lierin didn't mind one bit.


	35. Author's note

Author's note.  
  
I removed two reviews, they were anonymous and not very nice. To the two writers of the reviews:  
  
LCM: this is an alternative universe, if you couldn't have guessed. I know Voldemort didn't come back until Harry's third year but in my story he did. Get over it. And I did read the books, I have all the books thank you very much. If you couldn't determine that from the story it makes me wonder if you have read the books.  
  
Humbug: Lierin, Mary Sue? I don't consider her a Mary Sue. She's not perfect, she nearly destroyed the world, She needs lots of help in solving the mystery and she acts on impulse. If you called that Mary Sue, well opinions differ. Snape out of character? Excuse me, but I think I succeeded rather well in keeping him in character. Maybe until the very end but if I kept him in character, there would be little romance now would there? And for crying out loud, I've read more horrifying stories than this one so go and pick on those!  
  
Anyway, to all the rest. Thanks for leaving me reviews, I don't mind critique, just be kind about it and don't leave nasty reviews. I never claimed to be a preofessional writer, this was made for fun and I wanted to share this with others who might enjoy. So, I hope you did enjoy.  
  
Thanks again!  
  
Love, Lierin 


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